Looking through the Mirror
by PhantomGypsy13
Summary: It's the story we know and love, but with a twist with gender reversals. Erik, Christine, and Raoul become Erika, Christopher, and Rachel. Will the story remain the same or will there be some twists along the way?
1. Angel of Music

In the Palais Garnier, there are many secrets to be held. Every performer, orchestra member, manager, and servant had their own secrets, never willing to tell them to anyone unless there was liquor around. However, there was always one secret that has become a legend among the members of the Palais Garnier: the Phantom of the Opera. Now, before you predict what the story is about, this Phantom is different. It's a woman. She has lived in the catacombs of the Palais Garnier ever since the kind-hearted Madame Giry, who saw her as a person and not as a freak, saved her from the traveling hell, or circus as her handler told her. Despite her new freedom, the scars never left her. She called herself "The Devil's Child" because of the hideous right side of her face. It took her a long time just to say that she didn't deserve the torment she endured.

Now ten years later, she has listened to the majestic music of the orchestra and watched the dancers and singers perform on stage. She had a favorite place to watch the shows: Box 5. No one was allowed to stay at that box! That was hers alone. She would creep through the shadows when spying on the performers. She laughed when they said that they felt hideous or their makeup wasn't done right. They have no idea what true ugliness is until they have to hide it behind a mask. Her satin black mask hid the right side of her face, but despite that, she didn't want to be seen by anyone to avoid questions. She saw how forceful men can be toward women, pulling their dresses and touching areas that weren't meant to be touched. A curious man might have grabbed her mask just to see that "pretty" face, but would be shocked to discover what lied beneath. The last thing she wanted was to be sent back to that circus.

One day, she sneaked around the kitchen, grabbing some leftover bread and wine. She was sure to be as careful as possible; no noise and no traces of her presence. She filled up her basket with haste, but was interrupted when she heard a familiar voice. "What are you doing here, Erika?"

She turned around quickly and saw her savior Madam Giry. She exhaled in relief. "I'm glad to see you right now."

"Mon chéri, you need to be more careful around here. What if someone saw you? You wouldn't have known until it was too late," she said with motherly concern.

"I know and I'm sorry, but I was hungry. I'm out of food at home and it's not a good time to buy some. Everyone else is in the middle of practice for _Hannibal_."

"That would be the case, but today, lunch is scheduled earlier than expected. That why I'm here: to make sure you weren't here. You should leave now before the chefs come and see you."

"All right. Thank you," she said as she quickly grabbed her basket and left. Luckily, most of the actors were still on stage while others were too busy talking to or flirting with their co-workers.

Erika escaped to an abandoned dressing room near the male dressing quarters. She took out her gold key and unlocked the door. She checked to see if anyone saw her and luckily, no one was around. She entered quietly and locked the door behind her. She let out another sigh of relief. As much as she liked sneaking around and being the Phantom, she had to admit: she really enjoyed being home. She put the basket down on a recently dusted vanity and took out a loaf of bread. She heard rumors that a male opera star was arriving to the Palais Garnier soon and he would be using this dressing room, but she hoped it wasn't true. This was the only access to her home which was deep in the Parisian catacombs. The seven-foot one-way mirror on the wall was a secret entrance to her realm and sharing this room with a stranger, not to mention a man, would be very uncomfortable and troublesome. After eating the loaf of bread, she brushed the crumbs off of her slightly puffy red dress and went downstairs through the mirror. She had to practice her violin at least once today then she'll watch some rehearsals.

Afternoon rehearsals were fun to watch in the shadows of the upper level boxes where no one could see her, but she could see everything. She watched the chorus sing the opening number, later joined by the entire cast. And then her least favorite part of the show appeared: the diva, La Carlotta Giudicelli. Although she has the power to fill the entire Palais Garnier with just her voice effortlessly, she didn't have an angelic voice. It sounded as if she was screaming her notes rather than singing them.

Today, they introduced their new male opera star: Ubaldo Piangi. He was a rather round fellow, but nothing seemed bad about him . . . until he opened his mouth. My god, she didn't think they could find a worse singer than Carlotta, but apparently they found someone. He was slightly out of tune, screamed his notes and worse of all, he had no passion in his voice. At least with Carlotta, there was some emotion, but his voice seemed monotone. For some reason, the manager said he was amazing, or maybe Carlotta got him the position somehow. She heard about their love affair and whatever Carlotta wanted, she got. The manager, Monsieur Lefèvre, would do anything in order to keep his fickle diva happy.

Then the dancers practiced their number for the second act and one always caught Erika's eyes. He was a tall handsome fellow with brown hair, emerald green eyes, fairly tanned skin, and toned muscles from all the dancing he has done over the years. He was surrounded by the female dancers and he was their ring leader. He danced very well for a man whose father was the famous violinist, Gustave Daaé. Madame Giry told her that his name was Christopher and he came here a couple of years ago after his father died. Poor guy. She just wanted to give him a hug, but that would be impossible. For now, she had to stay amongst the shadows.

While rehearsals were still under way, Lefèvre rudely interrupted as he showed two older gentlemen around the Palais Garnier. "As you can see, we are rehearsing for Chalimeau's _Hannibal_ and we recently hired Italy's finest: Ubaldo Piangi to play the title role."

"Monsieur Lefèvre, we are in the middle of rehearsal! Would you kindly refrain from interrupting," an angry Reyer said. There was nothing that he hated more than interruptions during rehearsals.

"I'm sorry, but I have an important announcement to make," Lefèvre said as he tried to gather the cast to hear his latest news. "Ladies and gentleman, can I have your attention please? As you all know, I am retiring today and I'm happy to report that I have found two men who can fulfill my duty. May I present to you Monsieur Richard Firmin and Monsieur Gilles Andre!"

The cast clapped with little enthusiasm. Lefèvre said he was just retiring, but they believed that he wanted to escape from the Phantom of the Opera. Erika had to admit, she was a bit mischievous when it came to the legend surrounding her. Ever since some dancers spotted her in the kitchen, her secret turned into a ghost story amongst the cast members. Some say she was the spirit of a woman who died when the Palais Garnier was first built. Others say she was a mysterious woman who can only be seen when least expected. And then her favorite: the Phantom of the Opera. These people believe that she was just a woman who lived in the shadows and was hiding a dark secret that she would kill for if anyone figured it out. Despite all the names, she remained a mystery to all and nuisance to those she toyed with. Whether it was a misplaced brush, holes in Carlotta's costumes, or using her ventriloquism to get guys to fight with each other, she liked playing tricks on people.

"We're honored to accept our new roles as managers and hope that our future will bring us all good fortune," Firmin said to the crowd.

"That is if the Phantom doesn't get to you first," a chorus girl mumbled.

"Ah, yes, the 'Phantom'," Andre said with sarcasm, "We have heard the rumors about this 'Phantom' and we assure you that he won't be interfering-,"

"The Phantom is a woman, monsieur," Meg, Madame Giry's daughter, said. "She is very much real. Most of the cast has seen glimpses of her."

"Well _she_ won't be interfering with our business," Firmin said with annoyance.

"I'm afraid she already has. I have a message from the Phantom herself," Madame Giry said, handing them a note with a broken wax seal on it. They quickly scanned the note and were shocked at what they read. "She welcomes you to her opera house-,"

" _Her_ opera house? Who does she think she is?"

"She is a kind spirit who might retract her welcome. Anyway, she wants you to leave Box 5 empty for her use. She likes watching our shows and if someone sits in that box, she won't be happy," she said as she pointed at the closest box to the stage on stage left.

"Are you saying that this Phantom is watching our shows in one of our most expensive seats for free?! That's absurd!" Firmin exclaimed.

"She's not a freeloader. She does pay for the box and speaking of which, her salary is due."

"Her salary?!"

"It's only 1000 francs-,"

"1000 francs?! Why on earth is she getting paid?"

"She makes sure that nothing goes wrong in the Palais Garnier and sometimes makes a cameo in our orchestra when someone is missing. She is a gifted violinist."

"Well, let's see how she'll handle the new rules around here. First, that box is open to the public and she can have it as long as she pays for it like everyone else. Second, she has to show her face if she wants her salary. Third, this is _our_ opera house, not hers. If she doesn't like the rules, she'll have to go somewhere else," Andre said.

Madame Giry sighed. "She's not going to like this."

Erika didn't like the new rules. At least Lefèvre followed the rules if he wanted everything to go without a hitch. She got up from her seat and descended down backstage.

"All right people! Enough fooling around! Back to rehearsal," the conductor, Monsieur Reyer, said as he continually tapped his music stand with his baton. The cast scurried to their positions while orchestra members straightened their posture and prepared their instruments. "Piangi, we left off on your aria-,"

"I know where I am!" Piangi said with arrogance. The music started playing and he screamed out his notes, but before he could progress much further, a sandbag fell, inches away from hitting him right on the head. All the dancers and chorus girls screamed and cast members shouted.

"It's the Phantom! We told you she was real! She's not happy with the new managers!"

Suddenly, a note slowly fell onto the stage from the platform above them. Many tried to grab the note, but it was Christopher who proved victorious. He handed it to Madame Giry who quickly scanned it before the managers grabbed it from her hands.

"Who is responsible for this?!" Piangi yelled to the stage men above him. They all looked at each other in fear, yelling that it wasn't any of them.

With rage in his voice, Andre said, "Listen to this! 'I see that we are not in agreement. If you want to ensure that your shows run smoothly, I suggest that you follow my rules. A happy Phantom makes a happy manager.' When we find her, we'll make her regret messing with us!"

"Or you can keep to her rules so she won't ruin our upcoming shows," Christopher said timidly.

"I think that's all I can do for you, gentlemen. Good luck and if you need me, I shall be in Australia," Lefèvre said as he rushed off the stage and out the door, happy to be away from the Phantom menace.

"I don't care how any of you deal with this 'Phantom girl', but I don't want to be part of this! I will be staying far away from here if I have to until this menace is gone," Piangi said, leaving the building. Some cast members tried to stop him, but he was too much for them to handle.

"Bloody hell!" Firmin exclaimed.

Erika escaped to her dressing room. How dare they change the rules on her? She's been here longer than they have and they act like they own the place. Well, technically they do, but that's beside the point. Lefèvre was more than happy to accept her requirements because he knew how well she kept the place when his employees were lacking. Just wait until they get a piece of her mind on the opening show of _Hannibal_. The next two weeks will be hell for them.

She angrily picked up her violin from the vanity and slid the mirror door open. In case one of the maids decided to clean the room, she would remain hidden. She slid the mirror back into position and sat on the floor with her back facing the mirror. No one will see her through the one-way mirror and she was not in the mood to go down to her home, especially when there was mischief to be planned. She got into position and slid the bow on the strings. The notes that came out were beautiful, but not perfect. She knew she had to tune the instrument, but she was full of so much anger that she didn't care. She played a piece she memorized since she was a child and it seemed to relieve her rage.

Suddenly, she heard the doorknob move and the door opened behind her. She immediately stopped and looked. She swore she locked the door, but apparently she didn't.

"Hello? Is anyone in there," a male voice asked. Erika remained as quiet as possible with her heart pounding. "I heard a violin in here. It sounded quite lovely." The man walked in and she was surprised to see who it was. It was Christopher Daaé! He looked all over the room, but couldn't find the beautiful violin he just heard. Then he looked straight into the mirror, almost like he knew she was there, but he turned away. Erika stood up from the ground and was about to leave, but then she heard him say something peculiar. "Angel of Music, are you here?"

Angel of Music? Out of all the things to guess, he chose the Angel of Music. She heard that name before in her childhood when her own father told her stories of an angel that showed people their full musical potential. It was her idol even to this day, even though now she viewed it as more as an inspirational character rather than an actual being.

She saw him sit on the chair by the vanity and he looked distraught. "Father, when will you show me the Angel of Music? Even at your deathbed, you said you'll talk to her personally," he said with sadness in his voice and a tear rolling down his cheek. Erika stared at him closely. His Angel of Music was a woman? "You've told me to be patient, but I've waited this long and I thought I found her, but it must have been my imagination." He got up from the chair and was about to leave, but was interrupted by the sound of a violin. He knew for sure that this wasn't his imagination.

Erika was playing that violin. She felt his pain somehow and thought that he needed his Angel of Music. She played her heart out for him and he was ecstatic. "Angel, is that you?" Christopher asked, but he received no response. "You don't have to be scared. It's just you and me. Please talk to me." He said it so sweetly that she couldn't refuse his request. He'll never see her, so what harm could be done?

"Here I am Christopher. I'm your Angel of Music," she said, trying to sound like a stereotypical angel.

His eyes lit up and he was in glee. "I knew I found you! I haven't heard someone play a violin that beautifully since my father passed away. Has he reached you?"

"Yes he has. Your father came to me directly and asked that I teach you how to reach your full potential as a musician. He's a very kind man and I'm happy to know he was your father."

"That's great to hear. He said he saw you when he was dying and you looked very beautiful. Can I see you for myself?" No response. Erika didn't know how to respond. "Was that too much to ask?"

"No, not at all. It's just . . . our relationship must be kept secret. If people saw you with a 'beautiful' woman around the Palais Garnier, they would ask questions. I don't want them to know who I am or else things will get complicated. After all, your father sent me to be _your_ personal teacher."

"I understand."

"Just a quick question: why did you come to the Palais Garnier?"

"Well, after my father died, I thought that I could find you through a place that is surrounded by music. I was hired here because of my name, but I didn't get my dream job."

"And what would that be?"

"I want to be the next big male opera singer that all of France would know and love. After all, my father was loved by many people in Sweden with his violin. I would sing along side him when he played and people said I had a lovely voice."

"Really? I want to hear you."

"I-I-I don't know about that. I was a little kid when people said that. You know people say those things to make the kids feel special," he said nervously.

"I want to hear you sing. You can't be anywhere as bad as that noise they call Piangi," she said.

He laughed. "You don't like him either?"

"Not the slightest bit. Pitch and volume are things I can overlook, but there is no passion in his voice; no desire for the melody he is attempting to sing. Instead, we have a soulless performance that makes my ears bleed, but enough about him. You said you wanted to be an opera star, so I must hear you sing!"

"Fine, I'll sing for you, but don't laugh if I'm terrible."

"I promise."

He took a deep breath and sang:

 _There you are my Angel of Music_  
 _Your violin playing in my ear_  
 _Proves to me that you are near_  
 _Show me the way to eternal happiness_  
 _For as long as time permits_  
 _Please be my angelical guide_  
 _Throughout the journey of my life_

Erika couldn't believe what she was hearing. The pitch was lovely and his tenor voice was angelic. No other words could describe it. She felt like fainting and landing on Cloud Nine, but he stopped. "How was that?"

"Christopher, you have a voice sent from the heavens! Far superior to anyone I have ever heard! It only needs a few little tweaks and then it will be perfect," she said.

"Really? Well, I'm glad you like it," he said with a smile. She smiled too. He has the gift to become the greatest opera singer ever. All he needed was a few lessons and he'll be good to audition for the lead role in the upcoming show. She'll find a way to make him the star. "So, when will I see you again?"

Erika thought about it and said, "Whenever my door is open. All I ask is you keep this a secret and lock the door behind you."

"All right then. See you soon, my Angel of Music."

"I'll be waiting," she said as he left the room and locked the door. She didn't know what just happened. Did she make a friend or was this all just a dream? She'll see if he comes back to her in the future. If he does, she'll know.


	2. Mystery Girl

For a week, Christopher would come to the dressing room whenever he had the chance to take his lesson with Erika. She would correct his pitch, breathing, and other techniques, but she believed that his voice was pretty much perfect. Every time he sang, she tried desperately not to melt to the floor. He was still under the impression that she was his Angel of Music and she might keep this image for as long as she needed to. Once he becomes the next opera star, she planned to say that he has met his potential and she'll move on to the next growing musician, but she'll cross that bridge when she gets there. She was just happy that she finally had the chance to talk to someone, even if it was under these circumstances.

One day, Erika was watching the afternoon rehearsals in her usual top box. Today, Piangi was even worse than usual. He tried desperately to show off his "amazing" voice, but even Reyer told him to find the right pitch. After his song was over, the dancers walked on stage, but something was missing. Where was Christopher? All she saw were the female dancers without a leader. She thought about it and did remember him sounding sickly at their last session together and she told him to get rest. He must have taken her advice, or so she thought.

"Who are you and what are you doing here," a nasally voice asked. Erika quickly turned around and was surprised at who she saw. It was Christopher! Why was he here? She noticed that he was in normal clothing instead of his costume and his hair was slightly disheveled, as if he just got up from bed. Regardless who it was, she was spotted.

He was staring at her, but for different reasons than she thought. Her sleek raven hair helped her porcelain skin glow from the lights that the chandler gave off. Her eyes sparked like the most precious sapphires. And finally, that black mask that matched her dress only added to her mystery. He needed to know who this woman was, but before he could, she quickly headed out of the box. He caught her before she could leave and asked, "Tell me who you are. I promise I won't hurt you." Even though she believed his words, she couldn't take the chance.

She stomped on his foot and he let her go, wincing in pain. She ran as fast as she could down the hallway, trying to lose him, but he seemed to know where she was going. "Wait," he kept yelling to her, but as much as she wanted to, she couldn't stop. She managed to avoid any other people and ran backstage to her dressing room. When she finally got there, she closed and locked the door and caught her breath. It was a long time since she had to run that fast and she didn't want to do it again. In a short time, he knocked on the door while also trying to open it. While out of breath, he said through the door, "Come out please. I didn't mean to frighten you. I just want to know who you are. You're just so bea-,"

"What on earth is going on here?!" He looked toward the voice and saw a disgruntled Madame Giry walking towards him.

"Oh, Madame Giry, could you please open the door to this dressing room? There's a woman in there, but I don't think she's a dancer or a chorus girl. She was sitting in the top boxes and I happened to see here, but before I could figure out who she was, she ran," he explained.

Madame Giry's eyes widened. "Christopher, you need rest, especially since you're sick. Running around to chase this 'girl' isn't good for you."

"I will after I see this woman. Please open the door," he begged.

She gave him an annoyed sigh and said, "All right." She took out a ring of keys out of her pocket and found the gold key. She unlocked the door and he rushed in, but was shocked to see that she had vanished.

Erika was watching through the mirror and saw him look all over for his mystery woman, but with no luck. She was still breathing hard after all the running, but her heart was pounding faster with every second he was in the room. "I told you that no one was here. You're just seeing things," Madame Giry said, trying to get him out of the room.

"I guess so," he said in defeat and headed out the door. Did he really just imagine that mystery woman? No, how could he? He never saw a woman like her and he could still feel his aching foot that was stomped on earlier.

Madame Giry closed the door quietly behind him, making sure he wouldn't come back. After a few moments of silence, she said, "I told you to be more careful, didn't I, Erika?"

She slid the mirror door and entered the room. "I'm sorry, but I've been up there for years and no one has ever found me until today. All of the performers usually are either on stage or backstage and the cleaning crew stays at the orchestra level."

"I know, darling, but now he's going to be on the lookout for you," she said with a motherly tone.

"I'll hide better, I promise," she said as she headed back through the mirror, but was stopped.

"I know you're teaching him the lead part in this room. I can hear him sing through the door."

"Is it a bad thing? It's not going to harm anyone," she said innocently.

"It might when he realizes who you are. The Angel of Music is close to his heart and he might be hurt to learn that his angel is a fake,"

"I don't intend to reveal myself. I just want him to reach his full potential. After that, I'll just say his Angel of Music is moving on to another growing musician."

Madame Giry sighed. "I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into," she said as she left. Erika left the room through the mirror. Out of all the people, why did it have to be Christopher that spotted her?

Later that day, Christopher arrived to the dressing room for his lesson a bit earlier than usual. He wanted to check the room one more time to see how that woman vanished. She locked herself in the room and had no other way to escape, but somehow, she vanished without a trace. Erika arrived to the mirror and was surprised to see him there snooping around. He won't give up on her, will he? "Is something the matter," she asked, out of the blue.

He jumped in surprise, but regained his composure. "I'm fine, it's just . . . I saw the most beautiful woman I've ever seen today,"

Erika's eyes lit up. She knew he was talking about their earlier encounter, but she couldn't believe that he called her beautiful. Not only that, the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. No one ever called her that, not even herself. She always called herself the Devil's child and a hideous monster, so hearing those words made her heart skip a beat. "Really? Who was this woman?"

"I don't know her name or even who she is, but from what I saw, she was an angel! She had these blue eyes that sparked like sapphires, a slim black dress that fit her image perfectly, but most of all; she had a black mask that had me dying to know more about her. Do you know her by any chance?" His voice sounded as if he was in love with her without even knowing who she was. It made her cheeks blush with both embarrassment and excitement.

"I know everyone in the Palais Garnier, but she's a mystery to me as well," Erika said, trying to hide her excitement.

After a moment of silence, he led to a conclusion. "Is she the Phantom of the Opera?"

She was silent for a moment. He was right, but she didn't know how to answer. "That's what people call her. Do you believe the stories they tell you about her?"

"Which ones? I've heard so many. I've heard her as a vengeful spirit and a disfigured creature living in the catacombs. I would have believed those stories if I didn't see her myself. She's too beautiful to be a monster and too life-like to be a ghost. She reminds me of a lost girl who is trying to be part of society, but something is holding her back."

He was right on point. All he was missing was her deformity. "I agree with you. Something is holding her back. Maybe you'll meet her again soon."

"I hope so, but how can I find a girl who doesn't want to be found?"

"Maybe with some luck," she said.

"Perhaps you can guide her to another meeting. I want to see her again," he said with hope in his voice. She smiled knowing that she made someone happy, even though she knew that they can never meet again.

"I don't know about that. As much as I want to, she has a hard heart to move. She won't agree so easily."

"At least try. People say that she has replaced performers during productions when people are missing, so she has to be a musician."

"I'll try. Now, on with our lesson," she said, trying to change the subject. The rest of the lesson was awkward for her since he wanted to meet her, but under unusual circumstances. She wanted to make minimal contact with him, but he will always want more.

* * *

The night before the opening of _Hannibal_ , Christopher was in the dressing room singing the lead role while Erika played her violin to keep tempo. Everything was usual: him singing like an angel, her telling him to focus his breathing or tempo, her trying not to melt from his amazing voice. Around the end of the lesson, he blurted out in the middle of a song, "When can I see you, my Angel?"

She sharply stopped playing and asked with confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I've been coming to see you everyday now and I think it's only fair that you let me see what you look like. Father said you were a beautiful angel when he saw you on his deathbed and I'm dying to see that beauty! Do you not trust me?"

"No, I do, it's just . . . it's not a good time."

"Then when is? When I'm on my deathbed? I can't wait that long," he said with sadness in his voice.

She looked at him through the mirror and she saw that he looked like a child who just lost his favorite teddy bear. She felt his sadness and took a deep breath, "I'll make you a deal. I'll reveal myself to you only if you get the lead role in a production. I've trained you for that, at least."

His sad face began to smile. "All right. It's better than nothing and now I have a chance to see you!"

"But only if you get the lead role. You deserve it!"

The next morning, rehearsals were intense. Reyer was on everybody's case about pitch and tempo. Even Carlotta tried to take his advice, which was a rare moment. The dancers made sure their techniques were perfect and the actors remembered their lines and movements. Erika was lurking around the shadows above the stage, watching the stage crew try to set the scenery without a hitch. Everything was going great until Piangi sang his aria. No emotion in a love song was the worst crime in music! He is suppose to sing about wanting to be with his loved one at home while he is out fighting a war, but instead, it sounded scripted and unmoving. She needed to end this torture in her ears.

 _Without you, I fall to my knees,_  
 _I always dream you safe at home_  
 _Far away from the slavery of Roma_

 _"_ No! It's Rome, not Roma," Reyer corrected.

"I am from Italy! It is Roma," Piangi yelled with Italian anger. How dare they disrespect his homeland, he thought.

"Well, here, it is Rome. From 'without you'," Reyer said as he moved his baton to restart the music.

 _Without you, I fall to my knees_  
 _I always dream you safe at home_  
 _Far away from the slavery of Rome_  
 _I want to hold you in my arms again_  
 _I need to know you're still with me_  
 _Gently beside me_  
 _Soon I will be home_

Suddenly, a backdrop fell with a mighty force, scaring everyone, especially Piangi. The scenery nearly fell on his head and if it did, it would have killed him for sure. The chorus girls and dancers screamed at the top of their lungs. Christopher just stared as the whole fiasco happened. "What the hell is going on around here?!" Piangi asked frantically.

"Joseph Buquet, what's going on up there?" Andre yelled at the stage manager above to the stage manager.

"Messieurs, don't blame me! I wasn't at my post!" he said, fearing of getting fired.

"Then who is at fault," Firmin yelled.

"Perhaps, it was the Phantom!" Joseph said with a mockingly haunting tone, scaring the girls down below. He pulled up the scenery with a fast pace while the managers tried to make sense of what just happened. Piangi, on the other hand, was furious.

"Are you not going to fire the bastard for almost killing me," he yelled to the managers with anger building every second.

"It was only an accident. There's no need to fire anyone," Firmin said as calmly as he could.

"But he almost killed me! You're going to let him get away with it?!"

"It wasn't his fault," Andre answered.

"Well, I see how it is. If you value a stagehand more than your own star, then I guess I'll be leaving. I quit!" Piangi said as he left the stage and out the door.

"Wait, Piangi! You can't quit. You've got a big debut tonight," the managers said while chasing him.

"I already did!"

The managers gave up the chase and cursed under their breath. "What are we going to do? We have a full house tonight and I don't want to give everyone a refund just because our star decided to quit," Firmin said with nervousness.

"Does anyone know his part well enough to perform tonight?" Andre asked the crowd, but they all shook their heads. He was just cast the role not too long ago and there was no understudy yet.

"Christopher Daaé can sing the part, messieurs," Madame Giry said. He looked at her with surprised eyes and she gave him a wink.

"A dancer can sing? Ha, I highly doubt it," Andre said skeptically.

"I've heard him sing before and I can tell you that he can sing angelically."

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. If he fails, I don't know what we'll do," Firmin said. "Come here, boy." Christopher walked downstage as instructed and was very nervous. He only sang for his Angel of Music, but now he had to perform in front of everyone.

"We will start with the aria. I'll give you two measures before you start," Reyer said as he lifted his baton to signal the orchestra to get ready. As the music played, he quickly remembered the lyrics and then he sang.

 _How long must I wait to see you again_  
 _How long must I endure the pain_  
 _I know you are many miles away from me_  
 _But I know that my love for you will never cease_  
 _I see you every time I go to sleep_  
 _I see your face before every fight_  
 _Without you, I fall to my knees_  
 _I always dream you safe at home_  
 _Far away from the slavery of Rome_  
 _I want to hold you in my arms again_  
 _I need to know you're still with me_  
 _Gently beside me_  
 _Soon I will be home_

When he was done, the whole cast cheered for they never heard such amazing talent from anyone. Even Carlotta was impressed, but she had to act unimpressed since she loved Piangi. "We were wrong. You do have an amazing voice!" Andre said. "Who is your mentor so that I might thank the man personally for the gift of your talent?"

"I-I can't tell you, monsieur. I made a promise with my teacher that I can't reveal her identity," he said timidly.

"Ah, smart man. If everyone knew about his protégé, everyone would want a piece of that success," Andre said, ignoring the fact he said " _her_ identity".

"Actually, my teacher is a woman."

"Really? Well, she must have amazing talent to teach you," Firmin said in excitement. "I've made up my mind; tonight, you are going to sing Piangi's part until he comes back. We need to do a last minute dress rehearsal so he knows his scenes. Costumes might be difficult, but the costumes people can figure it out, even if they have to buy new ones. From the beginning people!"

Throughout the day, Christopher learned all his entrances and exits, his songs he had to sing, his movements on stage, and so many other things. He was not used to the spotlight, so being the center of attention made him worry, but he had to do whatever it took to please everyone, including his Angel of Music. There weren't any breaks for him, so he didn't have any time to meet with her and tell her the good news, but she knew already. She was ecstatic to learn that one of her antics finally paid off with both getting rid of Piangi and getting Christopher the lead.

Down in her home, she went through her closet, hoping to find the perfect dress for this occasion. She had many different types of dresses that she made herself, thanks to her good memory when she saw the seamstresses make costumes for the shows. She was going to where the first dress she could find, but today was special. She didn't know why, but she wanted to dress to impress him. She knew he wouldn't see her, but she still wanted to look nice for him. Other than Madame Giry, he was the only person that she made the effort to contact with. She felt something in her heart for him, but it wasn't love. She didn't know what to label it, so for now, she viewed it as pride for her student.

Some time before the show, she arrived to her Box 5, but was surprised to see someone there inside. The woman had blonde hair and was wearing a very expensive dress, suggesting that she came from a rich family. She was patiently waiting for the show to start when she heard a voice say, "Pardon me, but you're in my box."

The woman looked around with her emerald eyes, but she couldn't see anyone. "Is someone here," the woman asked. She had a sweet voice that anyone could love, but it didn't persuade Erika.

"You're in my box, mademoiselle. I'm afraid you have to move."

"Well, mysterious voice, I paid good money to see the show from here and I'm not leaving," the woman said rather rudely.

"I've had this box reserved for years. It's mine and I want you out," she said forcefully as she opened the door of the box from the other side, making sure she wasn't seen. The woman looked at the door confused.

"What the hell is going on around here?" She walked outside, hoping to find the prankster doing this, but couldn't find anyone. She walked down the hallway a bit, hoping to see someone, but she was unlucky. She turned back in defeat, but saw that the door was closed. She tried to open it, but the door was locked. "What the hell?" She slammed the door and said, "Open the door! I will go to front desk to get you out and you'll get a piece of my mind!"

Inside, Erika ignored the threat and sat in her seat. She did not like anyone sitting in her seat, except for her. She'll have a word with the managers through a note, but that will happen later. She sat back in confidence, knowing that the woman will not get in here to ruin her fun as long as she had the key in her pocket.

"What do you mean you can't get her out," the woman said in anger to the managers.

"I'm afraid we don't have a key to Box 5 with us," Andre frantically said to the powerful woman.

"Why not? Shouldn't all managers have the key to everything with them?"

"The person in your box must have stolen the key from us."

"Don't all your boxes have the same lock?"

"Not that one. You see, there is a crazy woman that believes that Box 5 is hers. The previous manager let her take the box and she changed the lock so it was unique from the rest, but she gave the key to him. Now that we're here, she stole the key from us," Firmin said.

"Well, you better do something about it! As a Viscountess, I demand you at least give me a refund or find me a better seat before the bloody show starts!"

"We'll let you sit with us in Box 7 as an apology for the inconvenience and once the show is over; we'll have a scolding for that woman."

"I guess that will be good enough for now, but this better not happen to me again, you hear?"

"We understand," the managers said.

* * *

The lights in the theater dimmed and the curtain lifted. The music started playing, revealing an epic opera about the heroic Hannibal on his journey through the Punic War. Then, Christopher appeared on stage for his aria and all was silent. Most of the audience expected Piangi, but they were willing to hear this newcomer. Erika waited anxiously as he started to sing.

 _How long must I wait to see you again_  
 _How long must I endure the pain_  
 _I know you are many miles away from me_  
 _But I know that my love for you will never cease_  
 _I see you every time I go to sleep_  
 _I see your face before every fight_  
 _Without you, I fall to my knees_  
 _I always dream you safe at home_  
 _Far away from the slavery of Rome_  
 _I want to hold you in my arms again_  
 _I need to know you're still with me_  
 _Gently beside me_  
 _Soon I will be home_

She was in love with that voice. He was perfect and she was glad that she spent this much time and effort on him learning the lead part. He sang it with ease and emotion!

 _No matter how many bodies I have to slay_  
 _You will be the angel that guides my way_  
 _My darling, my love, my everything_  
 _I want to hear your voice sing_  
 _I wish this war ends in victory_  
 _And I can come home to see thee_  
 _Until then, I must wait here_  
 _Hoping one day I will be near_  
 _I want to hold you in my arms again_  
 _I need to know you're still with me_  
 _Gently beside me_  
 _Soon I will be home_

She was in so much joy and the crowd was too. When he finished his aria, the whole crowd gave him a standing ovation. Erika did too with much more enthusiasm than the audience. When the show ended, the cast gave a bow, but as Christopher appeared on stage for the last time, they all gave him another standing ovation. Even Carlotta didn't get one and she didn't do a too bad of a job. The audience threw flowers toward the cast, but he didn't seem to catch any, except for a single rose with a black ribbon on it. He caught it with ease and noticed where it came from: Box 5.

He ran to the dressing room, trying to avoid the paparazzi and cast members congratulating him. As much as he liked the new attention, there was someone he had to talk to immediately. He finally got in and closed the door, but was startled when he heard a voice say, "You did very well tonight."

He quickly turned around and saw Madame Giry. "Madame, you startled me! Why are you here?"

"I'm here to give you this," she said as she handed him the gold key to the room. "This is your dressing room now."

"A-Are you serious?" Christopher said with a smile.

"Yes I am. You earned it and I'm sure you made your Angel of Music proud tonight."

"You knew the whole time?"

"That door isn't sound proof, Christopher. Anybody could have heard you, but I'm the only one who actually listened," she said teasingly. Christopher blushed with embarrassment.

"Thank you, Madame Giry. Without you, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to perform tonight."

"Don't thank me. Thank your Angel. She allowed you to become the performer you are now," she said as she left the room, purposely leaving him alone to talk to Erika.

He was about to speak, but he heard a knock on the door. "Hello, Christopher Daaé? Are you here," a sweet voice asked through the door.

"Yes, who is it?"

"It's me, Rachel. Rachel de Chagny."

He quickly opened the door and saw his childhood friend. She had gorgeous blonde hair, lovely emerald eyes, and wore an elegant dress expressing her wealth. "Rachel! I can't believe it's you," he said as he gave her a hug, "How are you?"

"I'm doing great, now that I've seen you. You were amazing out there! I could hardly recognize you with all the makeup and costumes, but when you sang, I instantly knew it was you. Your voice has improved dramatically since I last heard you!"

"I'm glad you noticed. I finally met my Angel of Music and she has helped me become who I am today!"

"Oh, your . . . Angel of Music?" she said hesitantly. She found it hard to believe that he still believed in that figment of fiction. She remembered his father talking about the Angel in their childhood, but she thought he would grow out of it. Apparently, he hasn't.

"Yes and she has taught me so much that I can't thank her enough for it!"

She sighed, but gave him a smile. "Well, why don't we go out to celebrate your new success?"

"Oh, but I must speak with my Angel-,"

"I'm sure she won't mind if I steal you away for some celebratory drinks. I'll get my carriage ready in ten minutes. You should change into something more comfortable and wait here until I come back," she said as she quickly left the room, not letting him deny her.

He closed the door and stood there in the silence, but then he heard, "Are you going to go with her?"

"She's an old friend, but I want to celebrate with you. After all, you're the one that led me to my success."

"It wasn't me, it was you. I can only open the door for you. You were the one who went through it. You finally got the lead role and you aced it. I'm very proud of you!"

"Speaking of getting the lead, I think you owe me something,"

"Hm?"

"We had a deal, remember? If I got the lead role, you would show me what you look like," he said with glee. She totally forgot about their deal, thinking that it would take him a long time for him to get the role, but he got it the very next day. "Please don't tell me that you're not going to hold your end of the deal."

"No, I'll show you. It's just . . . I'm a little nervous."

"Why? You're an angel!"

"I never revealed myself to anyone before their deathbed. This is new for me."

"Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen. I just want to see you. Please," he begged. In a few moments, he heard the mirror door slide and out came Erika. He was happy. It was her; his mystery woman. She had her hair all nice and done for him and she wore a beautiful red dress, but her mask was still the same. "That was you," he asked with glee. She nodded. "I finally found you!" He gave her a hug, which made her uncomfortable. Other than Madame Giry, she was never hugged by anyone before, not to mention a man. He hugged her for an awfully long time before he released.

"Well, you found me. So, you wanted to celebrate with me?" Erika said, still surprised by the fact that he wanted to be with her.

"Yes! Shall we go to dinner or something like that," he asked, still amazed by the fact he found his girl.

"Actually, I know a place we can go that's secret. Come follow me," she said as she grabbed his hand and directed him through the mirror.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to my home, where we can celebrate in peace."

* * *

"Christopher, I got the carriage. Are you ready?" Rachel said through the door, but received no response. "Christopher!" She walked inside, hoping not to accidentally see something inappropriate, but saw he was nowhere to be seen. "Where did he go? I told him I would be back. Maybe he's gone off without me," she said to herself. She looked at the mirror and fixed her hair. "Or maybe, he just doesn't love me like he used to. I didn't give him a kiss, so he wouldn't know that I still loved him."


	3. Jealousy

"So, what are we doing today?"

"We're going to review your part for _Hannibal_."

"Again? We do that every time I come here. What about after that?"

"I don't know. Maybe you can sing something from _Romeo and Juliet_ or _Faust_. You can decide when we get there, but I want you to be perfect at every show, so forgive me if my lessons are a bit repetitive."

"All right, Angel."

This was the beginning of almost every lesson Christopher had with Erika. For the past two weeks after rehearsals and shows were over, their lessons were in her home within the catacombs rather than his dressing room to avoid any disturbances. It was his idea to move them there because he wanted to see her more instead of her hiding behind the mirror in case of unwanted guests. Now, he got to see his Angel of Music in person and it always surprised him to know that he discovered her before she revealed herself. It was the works of destiny that they met each other. Her home could have been mistaken for a house, if the only entryway to her home wasn't a lake and an iron gate. Her furniture looked extravagant, almost as if she bought from a store, but she said she made most of it herself and only bought a few things. She had so many more talents that he would have knew about if he didn't meet her in person.

"You were a little flat on that last note," a sitting Erika said as she put the violin down on her lap.

"It wasn't conspicuous. No one will notice," Christopher said. This was probably the twentieth time today she corrected him.

"But I will notice. A perfect singer doesn't settle for any imperfections! He makes sure that he practices until there are no mistakes."

"It's not easy, you know. I can't sing perfectly every time I open my mouth."

"I know and that's why I'm here. I'll make sure your voice is as perfect as it can back. Now, start your verse over again while I get ready."

"Can we take a quick break? I've been singing for the last hour."

Erika checked a nearby clock and he was right. "I guess we can take a quick break." She put her violin down on a table and walked to her kitchen while he sat on her sofa. "Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

"What do you have?"

"I've got cheese and crackers with some white wine. Is that fine?"

"Sounds good to me," Christopher said. She walked to him with a tray of food and two glasses of white wine in her hands and set it down on the table. She quickly grabbed her food and glass and sat at the opposite side of the sofa, away from Christopher. Despite all the time they have spent together, she still wasn't comfortable with the fact that someone else was in her home. She was very reserved and quiet around him. Christopher tried to start conversations with her multiple times, but most of the time, she would say something to end it. Today was different. "So, how did you get to be so good at the violin?"

"I taught myself as a child whenever my mother wasn't around," she said, but with a somber tone.

"You must be very talented to teach yourself!"

"I guess I am," she said with a small smile, but quickly turned to a frown with the thought of her mother. He noticed her sullen look and scooted closer to her. She tried to move away from him, but she reached the end of the sofa and was trapped. "What are you doing?"

"I just want to get to know you better. Is that a crime?"

"I-I . . . You don't know anything about me."

"I know that you're a trapped soul stuck in the shadows and deserve to go out and enjoy life."

"Anyone could have figured that out,"

"But I'm the only one who has. You showed yourself to me and only me. Why?"

She quietly took a sip of her wine and after a while, she said, "You . . . You are the only person who saw me as a person and not a monster or a vengeful spirit. You're the only one that has even truly seen me, not just glimpses in the shadows." He smiled and she finally relaxed. He took a cracker with some cheese and ate it while she took another sip of her wine. She felt that the conversation was over, but it turned a sudden direction.

"If you don't mind me asking, why don't you talk more about your past?" Christopher asked. She nervously took a cracker from the tray and ate it to avoid the question. "I just want to know you better. You know everything about me, but I know very little about you."

She sighed. "I just don't like talking about it."

"Why?"

"My past is full of painful memories that I don't want to remember. I wasn't born here; I arrived here after traumatic events."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to . . . I'm sorry," he said as he scooted over to the other side of sofa. For some reason, she felt guilty. He just wanted to be friends with her, not just this teacher-student relationship that they were used to. "Could you at least tell me why you wear the mask?"

"I . . . I wear the mask to hide my . . . disfigurement. My face could repulse even the toughest man. I've seen children run in terror, calling me a monster and their mothers told my mother to keep me in a cage. I'm surprised she didn't."

"Can I see your face?"

"No! I don't want you to fear me after seeing my face. I respect you too much to do that to you," Erika said as she protectively held her mask to prevent him from taking it off if he tried.

"I understand." Christopher said as he slumped against the couch.

"Well, I guess that's a long enough break. Let's head back to our lesson," she said as she quickly got up from the couch and toward the table that held her violin.

"Fine," he said with a sigh as he got up and walked toward the music stand holding his music.

* * *

After another successful performance, Christopher went back to his dressing room. He put the key in the lock and opened the door, but was surprised to see a girl was already in the room, but it wasn't Erika. "Christopher! I'm glad you're here!" Rachel said excitingly.

"Rachel?! What are you doing here? You need a key to get in here," he said in utter shock.

"I asked Madame Giry for a key. She was more than willing to give one to me when I told her we were childhood friends. Remember when I retrieved your red scarf when it flew to the ocean?"

"Oh yeah, we were both drenched with sea water, but you managed to save it before it floated away. I still have it somewhere in my house."

"Oh, that's sweet, especially all the work I had to go through to get it," she said with a giggle. "I still owe you celebratory drinks for your debut performance."

"Um, it's been two weeks, Rachel. How come you're telling me now?"

"You've been extremely busy lately. I never get to see you after rehearsals because you're always with your 'maestro'. I try to surprise you multiple times, but it seems you disappear before I can talk to you. I thought tonight I'll catch you by being in your dressing room before you could leave. It worked."

"Sorry about that. We have a tight schedule and I have to see her every day. Her orders."

"Well, hopefully I can steal you tonight because I'm determined to celebrate. This time, you better not disappear on me. I'll be back in a few minutes to get the carriage. I'll be right back," she said as she quickly left the room, leaving Christopher confused about what just happened.

"You should go with her," Erika's voice said through the mirror.

"Were you there this whole time?" Christopher asked while looking at the mirror. All he could see was his own reflection, but he knew she was behind it.

"Yes. She was here for a lot longer than you think. She really wanted to see you, ergo I think you should celebrate with her, even if it is two weeks too late."

"You wouldn't mind?" Christopher asked innocently.

"Not at all. It's about time you took a little break from me. Besides, I'm trying to figure out which opera those two managers are planning to show. Once I figure it out, I'll practice it and make sure I'm prepared when you come to your next lesson."

"All right then," he said with a bit of disappointment in his voice.

After a while, Rachel ran into the room, out of breath. "Oh good, you're still here. Shall we go?" Christopher nodded and held out his arm for her to grab, like a gentleman would. Through the mirror, Erika felt a new feeling: envy. She didn't know why she was feeling this, but she didn't like it. She concluded that she didn't like that Christopher was going to celebrate with Rachel, but not in a lover's rivalry. It was more about him having freedom to go out and enjoy the company of someone who wants to be around him. She was jealous of Christopher, she thought.

In the carriage, Christopher was very quiet as he listened to Rachel talk about her life. He felt awkward since it had been such a long time since they bonded. They were childhood friends, sure, but they later became sweethearts. The last time they saw each other, he gave her a farewell kiss. He wondered if she still had feelings for him, especially since he grew out of those feelings. Regardless, he wanted to enjoy his night with her. "Christopher, are you listening to me?" Rachel asked.

He snapped out of his train of thought and looked at her with confused eyes. "Y-Yes," he lied.

"Then what did I just say?"

"Um, something about your outfit?"

"No, I was talking about my father. Remember him? You used to call him Monsieur de Chagny. It was so cute. Eventually, you started calling him 'father' when our relationship was getting serious," she said with a laugh. "He's doing well with the railroads in Switzerland. I would be there right now if I didn't convince him that I am a strong, independent woman."

"Well, I'm glad you were always great at that," he said with a smile.

She smiled as well. "Do you remember our little dates when we were kids? Like one time, we had a picnic in the attic and we had grape juice, but we pretended it was wine."

"Yeah, you even pretend you were drunk for the full effect. It was the first time you kissed me."

"I'm pretty sure it was you that kissed me, but regardless, it was cute."

"It sure was."

They finally arrived to a little bar on the outskirts of town. Despite the dangerous neighborhood, she said she really liked this bar, but he didn't know why. They walked in and the bartender greeted Rachel. "Hello Mademoiselle Rachel de Chagny! Long time, no see." The burly man saw her companion and asked, "Who's the lad with you?"

"Gary, this is Monsieur Christopher Daaé, the newest opera singer of the Palais Garnier!" Rachel said with enthusiasm.

"This is Christopher Daaé? Well monsieur, I must say that you performed very well last week. I saw the show from the back, but I could hear you crystal clear. You were magnificent!" Gary said.

"Thank you," he said, flattered.

"What would you two like to drink? Whiskey? Gin? Vodka?"

"We'll just have some red wine, thank you," Rachel said.

"Are you sure? Your usual is some a shot of all three plus some-," Gary said before he was interrupted.

"Just wine, thanks," Rachel said, clearly trying to hide something. They sat at the bar and Gary took out two glasses and poured some red wine in them. He gave the wine to them and left to serve some more customers. They both took a sip and she said, "This place always has the best red wine. Don't you agree?"

"Yeah, it's pretty good," he said hesitantly. "So, you're a regular here?"

"I guess so. Once in a while I'll come here for a drink or two when times are bad."

"I just find it odd that you know the bartender's name. Usually, people who come to bars everyday know their names and them knowing the names of the customers."

"I remember people's names the first time they tell me and I don't forget. I am a Viscountess, after all. My name is popular, or at least, my last name, especially with the rich," she said as she paused. After a moment, she continued, "It's hard to find people who aren't using you for your money. I go through friends like new trends in fashion. Even worse is when gentleman try to woo you, but you find out they are trying to woo your money."

"I'm so sorry, but I assure you, I'm not after your money."

She smiled. "I know and I'm grateful for that. You're one of the few that actually care about me as a person. Thank you," she said as she took another sip. "Gary, I'll have a shot of whiskey."

Gary walked over to them and said, "Are you sure? You haven't even finished your wine."

"I want it for later. Christopher, do you want some too?"

"I'd rather not," he said.

"Why not? You don't like whiskey?"

"I don't like strong liquor in general. I'll just stick with wine," he said with a raised glass.

"All right. Your loss," she said as she saw Gary place the shot of whiskey next to the glass of wine. She took the shot and ordered another and another. In between shots, she'll take a sip of her wine until it was gone, but then she ordered another glass. Christopher only had the one glass of wine to make sure he was sober enough to care for her when she was done.

After a while, Christopher was helping Rachel out of the bar. She was clearly drunk. She was slurring her words and could barely walk without falling. She was giggling a lot, but he didn't have time to laugh while he protected her. When the carriage arrived, he quickly pushed her in and got inside. The whole ride to her home, she was invading his personal space by leaning against him and putting her hands on him. She kept talking to him like they were still in the bar, oblivious that they were on their way home. Eventually, they arrived to her mansion nearby the Palais Garnier. The coachman opened the door to let them in. "Mademoiselle Chagny, we've arrived home," the man said.

"Wait, h-h-how did we . . . get here?" Rachel said with slurred word.

"We arrived in your carriage, mademoiselle, and I think it would be best if you went straight to bed."

"Oh, I wanted to stay a . . . little longer,"

"I'm afraid you can't. Now, say goodbye to your male companion."

She looked at him and like an angry little kid; she hated the fact that she has to leave, she said, "Goodbye, Christopher. I'll see you soon." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, but gave him a mischievous smile as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips. He was surprised. It was a blink of an eye, but it was still pushing boundaries. Actually, it was past the boundaries. She left the carriage and straight into the coachman's arms as he directed her inside, but not without her protesting all the way to the door. Christopher thought that they might take a while since Rachel was always a rebellious spirit and decided to get out of the carriage and walk home, which was a few blocks away, but he saw the Palais Garnier in the moonlight and thought he might as well go there.

After a couple blocks of walking, he finally arrived to the Palais Garnier. It was late, so he thought the managers locked the front doors, but he knew the one door they always forgot to lock: the back door close to the male dressing rooms. Throughout the years, he has forgotten stuff and was lucky to find this door always unlocked for his convenience.

* * *

"Ugh! Why can't I figure out how to play this song?!" Erika said with annoyance. She has been practicing _Il Muto_ ever since she figured out it was their next show, but a certain song has given her so much trouble. To make it worse, it was Christopher's solo song, so she couldn't skip it. It had very complicated rhythms that she couldn't figure out, which made her nervous since Christopher had to sing this song, that is, if he got the part, but she had confidence that he would get the part no problem. She had mastered the other songs, but this one was frustrating her. "Maybe some wine will help calm my nerves." She went to her kitchen to and grabbed the white wine and drank straight from the bottle. She walked to the music and examined it while taking sips of wine. "Why is it so hard? Is it the transition from the E string to the G string? It is difficult with so little time. Maybe it's all these sixteenth notes? I don't know what it is, but it's frustrating me. I know how the song goes, but playing it is a different story." She picked up the sheet of music and started humming the tune, hoping that she would find the mistake.

Suddenly, she heard splashing water in the distance. She checked her clock and it was half past midnight. After a bit of thinking, she assumed it was Madame Giry riding on her second boat she had for her, wanting to talk to her about something. Sometimes after work, she would come down to either scold her or tell her something important, but she was not in the mood to talk right now. She sat on the couch facing away from the watery entryway to her home and waited anxiously as the splashing of the water grew louder. She kept humming the song, but the water kept distracting her and she had to hum the tune over and over again. Eventually, she heard someone park the boat next to the other and footsteps getting closer to her. "I'm not in the mood to talk right now, Madame Giry," she said as she continued to hum the piece.

"I'm not Madame Giry," a male voice said. She quickly put down the music and turned around.

"Christopher?! What are you doing here so late? Shouldn't you be with Rachel?"

"The celebration ended when she got too dunk on whisky and wine. I helped her arrive to her home safely," Christopher said before continuing, "So, does Madame Giry know that you live here?"

"It's late! Why are you even here? You should be at home resting for your rehearsals tomorrow."

"I . . . I didn't get to see you tonight. I had to see you at least once today."

"It's past midnight; you shouldn't be here. Go home now please. We can practice tomorrow." Erika said as she got up from her couch and tried desperately to get him to go home. "I'll even walk you home, that is, if you really need me to."

"Really? I mean, I wouldn't say no to you. I would love your company." Christopher said with a smile. Erika sighed, disappointed that he accepted. She didn't like going outside the Palais Garnier, even when she had to, but she did give him the offer. She directed him back on the boat and tied a rope from their boat to the second one for later use. She grabbed the long paddle and started rowing the boat through the murky, but glossy lake. She brought a candelabra and a matchbox with her since she knew how dark the Palais Garnier could be when the lights were out. The catacombs, on the other hand, were surprising lit with all the torches Erika placed over the years. They were silent throughout the trip back to the mirror, except when Erika occasionally hummed the tune she had been practicing.

When they arrived to the dressing room, Erika struck a match and lit the candelabra. She carefully opened the door and checked to see if anyone was around, but Christopher said abruptly, "Why are you still sneaking around? Everyone should be home by now."

His voice startled her, but she inhaled and said, "You never know if someone stayed late. Maybe it's a dancer or a servant or even no one at all. Let's just hope you're the last one." With his hand in hers, she directed him out the door that he entered earlier. Once they were outside, she blew out the fires and placed the candelabra close to the entrance for her return. They then walked around the streets of Paris, careful of anybody who wanted trouble. After walking a few blocks, they finally arrived to his house and he opened the door with his key. It was small, double-story, white house with green trim around the door and windows. Through the door, she didn't see much, but he had a small living room with a red sofa and a brown coffee table. The walls inside were a shade of light blue, but the ceiling was white.

"Would you like to come in?" Christopher asked Erika with a smile. She was staring at the inside of his house for a while and figured he might as well ask.

She quickly shook her head. "I shouldn't. I need to go home and practice for your next lesson."

"Oh, well, what show is it going to be?"

" _Il Muto_. I've put in a good word for you with the managers, so they should give you the lead role."

"Oh, thank you," he said as he saw her turn around to head back to the Palais Garnier, but before she could leave, he said, "You have a beautiful humming voice."

She turned around and said, "T-Thank you."

"Do you remember what you told me? A good humming voice means a good singing voice. I would like to hear you someday."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to hear it for a while. Maybe if you're good, I'll let you hear it," she said teasingly as she turned around and left.

When she finally arrived home, Erika immediately slumped on the couch and took a deep breath. She felt her heart and it was still beating fast. It was like this ever since he accepted her offer to walk him home and hasn't stopped. Actually, it started beating faster when he complimented her humming voice. She couldn't figure out why it was like this. Recently, her heart was beating fast whenever Christopher came to his lessons and at first, she thought she was ill, but it always went away when he left. Today, she thought she could experiment if he was cause for this and she was surprised by her findings. He was, but he didn't have to be there in order for her heart to beat fast. When he left to go have drinks with that Viscountess girl, she felt her heart . . . for a lack of a better term, break. She didn't know why she felt this way, but when he was gone, she felt incredibly lonely. She knew it was jealousy, but she debated what made her jealous. She could have said it was his freedom, but she later discovered that it wasn't that. She was jealous at the fact that he took another girl out for drinks, but not her, which was strange for her since she had drinks with him on his debut performance. She . . . missed him when he was gone, but it was more than just a teacher feeling lonely in a classroom with no students. "What is this feeling?"


	4. A Mother Who Hated

"This is an outrage," Firmin yelled to Andre in their office. "This Phantom has pushed her limit!"

"Has she been leaving you notes too? There are so many of them that I'm afraid that my head will explode if I read another," Andre said in equal anger.

"Then you are going to hate this lengthy note sent to us. Let me read it to you!"

 _My dear managers,_

 _I hear that you two are planning to show the opera Il Muto. I'm sure that you two will put on a good show, but I want to give you some suggestions that I think you should highly consider. First, I want Christopher Daaé to be cast in the lead role: the Count Don Attillio. He has proven that he is worthy of the role and I will work with him personally so you two won't be disappointed. Second, I want Piangi cast in a role that requires minimal singing. He does not have the highly-talented voice that Christopher has, so the less singing he does, the better. Third, I want to remind you two a couple of things. You haven't been good about keeping my Box 5 empty. Thrice, I have told the people to get out of my box. So much so that I have to arrive an hour early and lock the doors before anyone can come in. I hear banging and yelling, but it's my box. They have no right to claim it. Also, messieurs, you haven't paid my salary. It's only 1,000 francs. You pay more for that noise you call Piangi to sing. You do want to keep your shows running smoothly, correct messieurs? If these demands are kept, then I assure you that you will have a great show._

 _-Phantom_

"This is an absurd! She does not run our theater! Can you believe that a woman is acting superior to us," Andre yelled.

Suddenly, the door opened and in came Piangi and Carlotta. "Who sent me the note?! Was it you two," Piangi asked in fury as he marched toward the managers.

"Piangi, what in the world has gotten into you," Andre asked as he and Firmin backed away from him.

"Is this not the note you sent? It looks like you two don't want me in your theater, you bastards!"

"It's all because of that Christopher Daaé! He stole the role that was rightfully his," Carlotta said in his defense with equal anger.

"Let me read that note. What is it that we meant to have wrote, er written," Firmin asked as he grabbed it out of Piangi's hand.

 _Your days at the Opera House are getting less and less by the second. Christopher Daaé is scheduled to take your place for the upcoming production and maybe all the shows after. He has a far superior voice than you and I suggest if you want to keep your job here, you are to sing in the chorus and learn how to sing. If you dare take the lead role, I see to it that a disaster beyond your imagination will occur._

"That is an insult to his talent! He sings like an angel, but this Phantom thinks he doesn't. She doesn't have an ear for real music," Carlotta said.

"Madame, I assure you that this Phantom doesn't run our theater. The part of the Count will belong to Piangi. Carlotta will be the Countess, but what will Christopher play?" Firmin asked.

"Well, if we want to upset her, we should cast him as the page boy, Serafimo," Andre said with a grin.

"Isn't that part usually played by a woman?" Piangi asked.

"Usually, yes, but how insulting would it be if we cast the Phantom's little puppet in a silent role that is normally played by a woman?" They all smirked at the idea.

Suddenly, the door opened and in came Madame Giry. "Good morning, messieurs. I received a note demanding that my girls are to dance better and the chorus is to work on their pitch. Was it you two or the Phantom?"

"Madame Giry, why would we send you notes about that? If we had a problem, we would tell it to you face to face," Firmin said.

"Then, it must have been the Phantom. She doesn't normally send notes unless there is a major mistake in a show-,"

"Are you telling us that she has done this before, but you still had to ask if we sent the note?" Andre said with annoyance.

"If you would let me finish, I was going to say that she sends notes only when there was a major mistake in a show, but there hasn't been one since the second show." She looked around and saw posters for the show Il Muto and countless notes on their desk. "I see she has sent notes to you two as well."

"Are you kidding? She hasn't shut up! Most of them are about Christopher Daaé," Firmin said with anger.

"She wants this show to be perfect for him," Madame Giry whispered to herself, but not as quietly as she thought.

"What? Do you know something that we don't?" Carlotta inquired.

"I was just wondering why she would send so many notes. What did she want, exactly?"

"She wants them to give my part to that inexperienced boy! I've spent years perfecting my art and he only sang one time and everyone loves him!" Piangi said with fury building, but Carlotta tried to calm him down.

"Is that all?"

"Besides her salary, Box 5, and Piangi, nothing else," Andre said.

"Wait! What did she say about me?!" Piangi said as he marched for the managers again.

"She only wanted you to sing a part with minimal singing, but we won't do it!" Andre said with fright.

"This Phantom bitch is getting on my last nerves! I'll kill her if I ever see her in person," Piangi said.

"Now, now, Piangi. We can't have blood spilled in the theater, but I do agree that she has to go," Carlotta said.

"Piangi, we are going to cast you as the Count! We won't take orders from a Phantom who might not even exist," Firmin said.

"Really?" Piangi said with unexpected glee.

"Yes and Christopher will play the page boy and -," Andre said before he was interrupted.

"Monsieur, why would you do that? You know the Phantom wants Christopher to be a star. It's obvious! Ever since he has been singing the lead in Hannibal, she has been very quiet. The last thing you want to do is upset her."

"Well, she has been giving us ridiculous demands and we are not going to follow them. You can argue all you want, but we've made up our minds. Christopher will play the page boy and Piangi will play the Count," Andre said.

"She's not going to be happy about this. Not one bit."

* * *

"What?!" Erika said as she threw some papers on the floor in a fit of anger.

"It's true. I just talked to the managers about the casting. They said they didn't want you to run _their_ theater and they decided to disobey your orders," Madame Giry said.

"I . . . I can't believe it. They have received more profit because of Christopher than they would have with Piangi and all I ask of them is to cast Christopher in the lead role. How dare they do this to me?!"

"I've never seen you so worked up about anyone. You never put this much effort into any performer, except Christopher. Why?"

Erika looked at her and said, "I don't know. Maybe I just wanted a friend, but all I know is that I want to see him succeed. He deserves it."

"Is that all? You want the show to be perfect just for him, don't you? Do you . . . love him?"

Her eyes widened by the question, but she turned away to debate her answer. "How do you know if you're in love?"

"Well, does he make you smile every time you see him?"

"Yes. Even thinking about him can make me smile."

"Does your heart flutter whenever he's around?"

"Yes."

"Is he all you can think about?"

"I can't get him out of my mind."

"Then, mon chéri, you are in love," Madame Giry said as she hugged her. "I knew there was something more than you were letting on."

"This feeling I feel is love? Wh . . . What do I do now? I've never felt this before," Erika asked nervously.

"Well, you can tell Christopher how you feel and hopefully, he'll feel the same for you."

"No! He won't feel the same. I'm too hideous for him to love."

"Are you sure? He talks about you all the time whenever he and I chat. In fact, he calls you the most beautiful angel he has ever seen."

"He . . . He does?"

"Yes. I'll be surprised if he doesn't have any feelings for you. Maybe you can confess during your next lesson with him."

"I . . . I'll try, but I'm not sure I can do it. I'm scared."

"You just have to be strong and not let fear take over you. I'm sure you'll be fine," Madame Giry said as she gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Unfortunately, I have to leave. If I stay here any longer, those girls will fool around and lose focus. I'll see you when I can."

"All right. I'll see you then. Would you like me to give you a boat ride back to the dressing room?"

"No, I've gotten used to riding the boat by myself. Just remember what I told you and I'll see you soon," she said as she got into a boat and rowed away from her lair. Erika watched as she rowed away until she was out of her sight. After a while, she walked around aimlessly, dumbfounded by what she was told. She was in love with Christopher! She knew there was more to them than just a teacher-student relationship, but she thought it was just friendship. Love was only something she read about in stories. It made people do the craziest things, like go on a perilous journey or do something life-threatening for the other. At the same time, it was something beautiful. Two souls become one and nothing can separate them, not even death. Love is so strong that it can overcome any obstacle. No matter how much you try to fight it, it will always prevail. Now, she had this amazing feeling, but she didn't know what to do with it.

"Angel, I'm here for my lesson," a voice said in the distance. She quickly looked toward the entrance and saw Christopher row his way into her lair.

"Y-Y-Your lesson is canceled for today," she said nervously as she escaped to her room.

"What do you mean it's canceled? Are you telling me I came all the way here for nothing?"

"Your lesson is canceled. I'm . . . not feeling well," she lied as she closed the white curtain to her room.

"Well, if you're not feeling well, I can stay with you until you get better," he said through the curtain, hoping she would come out.

"No, no. You should go back upstairs. I'm pretty sure rehearsals are starting for the next show."

"Well, that's why I'm here. Have you heard the casting list? I'm the page boy, which is odd since it usually played by a woman. Right now, they are just going through all the singing parts, so I don't need to be there since I have a silent role," he said as he paused himself. "Are you physically sick or are you just upset with the casting?"

"Both," she said as she opened the curtains. He saw that she was wearing a robe that Carlotta would wear after shows. "But, if you're not going to leave, I guess you can stay. There's some food in the kitchen if you're hungry."

"Thank you, but why are you in your robe right now? Are you going to bed soon?"

"Maybe. With these dark catacombs, you can't really tell what time it is. Besides, I'm exhausted from trying to deal with those idiot managers."

"Then, I'll stay until you go to sleep. What would you like to eat," Christopher asked as he headed for the kitchen.

"I just ate, but we can have some sherry, if you want."

"That sounds fine," he said while trying to find a bottle and two glasses. After a few minutes, he carried the bottle and glasses to the sofa that she was sitting at. He opened the bottle and poured some sherry into the glasses. "So, if I'm going to play the page boy, do we even need lessons anymore?"

"Of course. I'm trying desperately to get you the lead role, so that means we will practice it in case you have it last minute."

"Well then, I've got a lot of work ahead of me to impress you, my angel," he said before taking a sip of the sherry. "It's sweet."

"Yes. I don't normally drink, but I've always liked sherry."

"Well, I'm glad you're not a heavy drinker. After spending some time with Rachel, I can tell she might like alcohol a little too much. I mean, who else mixes their drinks?"

She chuckled. "Sounds like Rachel has changed a lot since you two last met."

"Yes she has. I mean, other than her body, she has changed a lot. When we were kids, we were almost like the same person. She liked the same stuff I did, like catching frogs by creeks or climbing trees. Sure, she had money then, but it didn't consume her. She was friends with me after all," he said with a smile, but it slowly disappeared, "I wonder what happened. I mean, I do care for her a lot, but she's different now."

"Well, you two have been separated for this long and you've both matured. I bet you're different in her eyes as well."

"Maybe. She told me that I was the closest friend she ever had. Most of her other friends now only want her for the money. Even as a kid, I didn't think much of her wealth. I just saw her as a normal person like everyone else."

"That's what I like about you, Christopher. You don't see class or looks, but care about what's on the inside: personality. I just wish more people were like you," Erika said as she took a sip of sherry to calm her nerves.

"I guess I do. Maybe that's why we were a couple just before I left," Christopher said with a smile.

"You . . . You two were a couple?" Erika asked with a subtle shaky voice.

"Yes, but it wasn't anything serious. We would just kiss and go on little dates. Now that she's back, I wonder if she still feels the same emotions. The only clue I got out of her was that she kissed me, but I don't know if it was real or not since she was-,"

"She . . . kissed you?" Erika said as she took a large gulp of sherry.

"She was drunk. People do and say things they don't mean when they're drunk. Even if she does feel the same way about me, I don't think I feel the same for her. I've grown out of those emotions after my father died."

"Well, what would you do if she confessed her feelings for you now?"

"I don't know, my Angel," he said as he took a sip of sherry. "It's funny. I call you 'my Angel', but I don't even know your name."

"It's Erika."

"Erika. What a beautiful name."

"Thank you. It's the first time anyone has said that to me. My own mother wouldn't call me by my name," she said with a sad smile.

"Why? A mother loves calling their children's name out of love and devotion."

"Well, my mother didn't have any of that for me. She was . . . disappointed when she saw my face for the first time. Actually, she was appalled. She wanted to abandon me in a farm, hoping the animals would either take care of me or eat me, but my father convinced her that I was a gift from the heavens."

"But you are! You have such amazing talents!"

"To my mother, all that mattered was beauty and nothing else. Women were born to be an accessory to men. They didn't have a mind to speak or anything that men could envy. If they had talent, that woman was a freak of nature and should be shunned."

"That's not true. There's more to a woman than her looks. You are the epitome of that!"

She smiled. "Thank you for saying that. It means a lot more than you think. Even as a child, I knew that, but I believe it's only because I was so hideous. My mother was married to a very rich man who gave her everything she wanted only because she was beautiful. They seemed like a tolerable couple until I was born. My mother couldn't stand to know she gave birth to such a . . . monster," she said as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Erika, you're not a monster and don't let anyone tell you that," Christopher said as he held her hand.

"Thank you, but you're too many years too late. I've been called that all my life, even now. That's what my mother called me. Not darling or child. It was monster or devil. I could have been fooled into believing those were flattering names, but I heard my mother's friends call their children nice names and I knew those names she called me were hurtful. However, things got worse when my father hung himself when I was about ten. When we discovered his body, she said I was the reason for his death, but when I read the suicide note years later, I learned it was her selfishness that drove him to do it. She kept calling me killer and death-ringer to add insult to injury."

"I can't understand how a mother could be so cruel to her child, even to the point of blaming them for a suicide," he said in disbelief.

"I can't either. My only refuge was music. I knew I had a talent when I found my father's violin. He was gifted, you see, and when he died, she put it in a glass case for display."

"You're father was a violinist too?"

"Yes and maybe that's the reason why I have such a deep connection with you. Just like you, I've heard stories about the Angel of Music from my father and he told me one day I can meet my Angel of Music. I'm starting to think he was right."

"How come?"

"I met you," she said with a smile.

"Me? I'm no angel. You're far more talented than I am," he said with a laugh, flattered by what she said.

She chuckled. "But you are the gifted singer. I am only a mere teacher. You are the star!"

"All thanks to you! I wouldn't be here without you," he said before pausing. After a moment of silence, he asked, "So, did you run away from your mother?"

She took another gulp of sherry and sighed. "When I was . . . of age, she tried selling me off to any man that would take me, even the ones that were old or already married. She treated me like an object, saying I can cook and clean without any charge and I could be great in the bedroom, but they all declined when they saw my face. Even when she said I could hide my face behind a mask, they still refused. Then, there was a traveling circus and it was the first time I was allowed to go outside my home since I was born. However, as I was enjoying the festivities and colors of the circus, my mother was selling me to the ringleader, saying I would make a great attraction. They agreed when they saw my face and that was the last time I saw my mother."

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry," he said as he gave her a hug. It was sudden and she was caught off-guard, but she accepted it and cried on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm here. Nothing will harm you."

With a weak voice, she said, "Thank you. You have been so kind to me and I'm very grateful."

"You're welcome," he said as he cupped her cheek with his hand, or as much of it as he could without touching the mask, "You are a very kind and talented woman. Don't let anyone make you think differently. Even with your deformity, you are a beautiful woman that I have come to admire."

"You really mean it?" she asked him, almost about to cry again.

"Yes! In fact, I bet your deformity isn't that bad. Let me see," he said as he began to remove her mask.

"No!" Erika yelled, but it was too late. He removed her mask and got a good look at her face, but his eyes widened with fright. There were crevices within her coarse face. The color was more yellow than the rest of her skin. She barely formed a nose and what was there seemed to be just a lump of flesh. Finally, her beautiful blue eye was surrounded by what looked like peeling skin. Erika pushed him off of her and he fell to the floor. She quickly covered her face with her hands and said with anger, "How could you?! I never wanted you to see my face! Is it as bad as you imagined or even worse? Damn you."

"I-I'm sorry. I just . . . I just-," he tried to say, but the words couldn't come out. She advanced toward him, like a killer would to their helpless victim, and he quickly crawled away.

"I already have to hide from the world! Do I have to hide myself from you too?"

"No, I . . . wanted to see you; not behind a mask or in the shadows. I wanted to see the full you."

Erika stopped in her tracks. No one has ever wanted to purposely see her face, not even Madame Giry. "Are you stupid? Why would you want to see the face of a Devil's child?"

"A Devil's child? No, you're not. You are my Angel of Music! You are . . . beautiful."

"Ha! You think I'm foolish? I'm not beautiful at all. You can't lie to me!"

"Remember what you told me? I look at what's on the inside. It's not what's on the outside that makes you beautiful. You're beautiful on the inside."

She looked at him confused. "All right, what about me that is so beautiful if it isn't my looks."

"I'll admit it, when I first saw you, I admired how you looked, but when you revealed yourself to me, I got to know you more. Despite how the world treated you, you are filled with kindness and compassion. You put your heart and soul into the very thing you love: music. You have to hide in the shadows, but you've opened yourself to me and I couldn't ask for a better teacher."

She looked at him with shock, touched by what he said. "You . . . You mean that?"

"Of course I do. Erika, I care about you a lot," he said as he handed her the mask. She took it from him and quickly put it on.

After a lengthy sigh, she said. "Well, I'm tired, so I should be going to bed. Besides, those two fools who run my theater will be missing you, that is, I hope they do. Good night, Christopher."

"But it's only two in the afternoon."

"Good night, Christopher," she repeated, hoping he would get the message, as she walked to her room and closed the curtain. He reluctantly complied with her wishes and got into the boat. Through the curtain, she could hear him row away until she couldn't hear him anymore. "Dammit! Why is my heart beating so fast?" Erika asked herself. She walked to her homemade wooden bed with a thin mattress and fell on top of it. She stared at the ceiling and said, "Why did he have to say such nice things to me? He makes loving him so much easier and hiding it more difficult. If circumstances were different, I'd . . . I'd tell him how I feel before that Viscountess does."


	5. Goodbye Father

"Serafimo, away with this pretense," Carlotta sang during rehearsals. "You cannot speak, but kiss me in my husband's absence." It was a few weeks before the opening of _Il Muto_ and people have been anxious about the show, especially Madame Giry. As she watched rehearsals from the side of the stage, she didn't know how Erika would react to the managers' stubbornness. She was always an unpredictable character.

"No, no. Christopher, you exit stage right, not stage left," Reyer said with anger.

"I'm sorry, monsieur. I'll remember next time," he apologized.

"The rule of a performer is to be perfect the first time. There is no room for error. Let's start the scene over again." The cast on stage sighed and moaned in agony. This wasn't the first time he made a mistake. For a part that doesn't involve speaking, he was having a lot of trouble. The singing roles required a lot less movement than his current role. Despite his training as a dancer, he had trouble keeping in rhythm with the music and knowing exactly what he had to do, whether it was just a simple step or a facial expression.

"Ok, this scene is done. Next is the dancers' ballet and then we'll be done with rehearsals for today," Reyer said as he dismissed the actors off the stage.

"All right, girls. It's your time to shine. Mess up and we'll have our own private rehearsal. Don't disappoint me," Madame Giry warned. She saw her costumed girls rush on stage and quickly get into position. As the music played, Madame Giry looked up to the upper boxes and could not see Erika at all. Despite her being well hidden in the shadows, there was always some sign that she was up there, but today, there wasn't anything. Where could she have gone? She always enjoyed watching the rehearsals. Madame Giry thought long and hard and remembered today's date. "Oh, that's why."

Christopher tried heading to his dressing room, but was stopped when he heard a familiar male voice. "Christopher? Christopher Daaé?" He turned around and saw a face he hadn't seen in a very long time. He had blonde hair and green eyes, just like his sister. He was clean shaven, just like a gentleman should be. He dressed like a son of a Viscount should and his smile was white as ivory.

"Philippe? Is that you?" Christopher asked in amazement.

"Yes it is. It's been so long since we've last talked, my friend," he said as he shook hands with Christopher. "But I must tell you, it's Viscount Philippe de Chagny now. How have you been, Christopher?"

"I've been well. What about you?"

Philippe's face turned sullen at the sound of the question. "I've been better. Have you seen my sister, Rachel, by any chance?"

"I just saw her a few nights ago when she wanted to buy me some new clothes," he said, but he sensed something wrong. "Why, what's the matter?"

"Well, um, our father, he's . . .," he said hesitantly.

"Dead," Christopher finished. Philippe nodded. "How?"

"He died of a heart attack. It's odd since he was the pinnacle of health, but his heart finally gave out. He was an old man, but I didn't think he would leave us so soon."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, but now I have to deal with the hardest task of my life: telling Rachel. Ever since our mother's death, she tried to find distractions to numb the pain, so she started shopping and drinking. I just hope that the news won't hurt her as much as it did then."

"Well, I know where she lives. Maybe we can talk to her together," Christopher suggested.

"That would probably help. You were always close to her, probably more than she ever was with me. Hearing it from the both of us would probably hurt her less than it would if I told her by myself. When do you want to tell her?"

Christopher thought about it for a moment and then responded, "Tomorrow would probably be best since I have some important things I need to take care of today. We'll meet at her favorite bar tomorrow at noon. If things don't go well as we planned, at least she can have a drink."

Philippe sighed. "I told her she needed to stop drinking, but with news like the one I, _I mean_ , we are going to tell her, she might need one. Thank you, Christopher. I'll see you then, that is, after you tell me her address."

"Oh sure; follow me in my dressing room," he said as he opened the door. The men entered and Christopher quickly grabbed a piece of paper, a quill pen, and some ink. He quickly wrote down her address and handed it to Philippe.

"She's pretty close to the Palais Garnier. I wouldn't be surprised if it was because of you. I mean, you two were close. Very close," he teased.

"What are you suggesting?" Christopher asked curiously.

"Nothing! All I'm saying is that you two were really good friends. Maybe you two still are, or is there something more," Philippe said before quickly leaving the room. Christopher didn't bother chasing him. He knew Philippe was always a jokester, even to the point it got annoying. That's what he liked most about him when they were kids, but he was also a great older brother to Rachel. Even when times were tough, he was always there for her. It wasn't until their mother's death that they decided to go their separate ways, or at least that's what Rachel told him. He would work for his father's railroad business in Switzerland while Rachel traveled all over Europe.

After a while of reminiscing, he remembered why he came to his dressing room in the first place. "Oh, right. Erika," he said to himself. He slid the mirror and quickly closed it, making sure there wasn't any sign of its magic. He walked down the hallway of torches and finally to the lake where a boat would be waiting for him, but he noticed something odd: there was a note pinned on the boat. He picked it up and read it.

 _Our lesson is canceled for today. There are some important things that I need to take care of that require my full attention. I'll see you tomorrow._

"Is she feeling all right," Christopher said to himself. Ignoring the note, he got in the boat and started rowing toward her home. When he arrived, he looked around and said, "Erika, I'm ready for my lesson." However, there was no response. He walked to every room in her lair and saw she was nowhere to be seen, not even her bedroom. At first, he was nervous going in there, fearing she might be changing or something that she didn't want him to see, but he still went inside. When he saw she wasn't there, he got worried. Where could she have gone?

He sat on her bed to figure out where she had gone and saw a little calendar on her nightstand, but today's date was circled with red ink. In little writing, it said, "Visit father." Isn't her father dead? That's what she told him some weeks ago. What could she have meant? Then he thought about it and said under his breath, "The cemetery. She's at the cemetery."

* * *

He rode his carriage to the cemetery that was a little far from the Palais Garnier, but he thought it was worth a shot to find his angelic teacher. She never said where her father was buried, but he thought that she wouldn't want to leave his grave, especially since he was the only person who cared for her when her mother abused her. After a while of searching, he saw some people that came to give homage to their dead loved ones, but he couldn't find Erika. Eventually, he walked up to his own father's tomb and decided to pay his own homage. The stone tomb stood out amongst the statues and headstones nearby; it had a giant stone cross on it and carved into it was the name "Daaé". He opened the gate and entered the tomb to get close to his father's coffin. "It's been a while, but I know you're proud of me. Despite my recent role, I got the lead role in our last show. I thought of you the whole time and . . . my Angel of Music. Thank you for sending her, but I need your help finding her. Please, father." He noticed a single red rose with a black ribbon lying close to the coffin and stared in confusion. "I didn't put that there." He first assumed it was Rachel or maybe even Philippe, but he saw a note card tied to the ribbon. He read it and knew exactly who put the rose there. "Thank you for sending me your Angel of Music."

Suddenly, he heard a violin playing outside the tomb, walked out with haste, and quickly ran to where the sound was coming from. He walked behind the tomb and saw a tall figure wearing a black hood playing a violin. The figure moved to the side and Christopher could read the name on the headstone: Giovanni Destler. The figure stopped playing the violin and crouched down toward the headstone. "You were the only person who loved me," a feminine voice said, "Even when the world shunned me for my face, you defended me until the bitter end. I can never repay you for that." It then got up and started to play the violin again, but after a few measures, it started to sing.

 _Say you will love me forever and ever_  
 _Say you will love me through all my endeavors_  
 _My heart will only beat for you and it will never cease_  
 _For you are the only one who sees the human being in me_

"Erika?" Christopher cooed. She quickly turned around and he could see her clearly. She wore a black dress that was puffier than what she would normally wear along with long black gloves that covered her forearm. She wore a white mask, but he could see streaks on it where her tears rolled off. Her eyes were puffy red and her makeup on the visible side of her face was wearing off due to the tears.

"What are you doing here," she asked in a startled and shaky voice. "Shouldn't you be rehearsals? It's only one in the afternoon."

"I got worried. You canceled our lesson and I had to know why."

"But . . . how did you know where to find me? I didn't leave any clues because I didn't want to be found."

"Well, I went to your home to look for you. I went in your bedroom and-,"

"You went into a lady's bedroom without permission?" Erika said with feigned anger. How could she be angry at a time like this?

"I'm sorry. I saw on your calendar that you were going to visit your father and naturally, I thought you would be here."

"But, how did you know look here? I didn't tell you where he was buried or where I grew up."

"I wouldn't want to be separated from my father's grave. Why would you, especially after everything you told me?" With tears creeping into her eyes, she looked down at the ground for a while. Christopher came up to her and put his arm around her. She was surprised at first, but accepted the gesture. "You don't have to do this alone," he whispered in her ear. She wiped away any tears on her face and took a deep breath.

She then crouched back down and said, "Father, this is Christopher Daaé. He's going to be the new star in the Palais Garnier and thanks to you, I can help him."

"Thank you, Mr. Destler," Christopher said as he crouched down. She looked at him and felt touched. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet my Angel of Music. I wish I could have met you to tell you that in person."

"Thank you, father, for sending my very own Angel of Music. I love you," Erika said with tears running down her face as she hugged the headstone. When she was done, she got up, but Christopher grabbed her hand before she could full stand up. "What now?"

"You have a very lovely voice. How come you never wanted to show me?"

"It's not that great compared to yours," Erika said, wiping away tears yet again.

"What are you talking about? It's very beautiful. It's even more beautiful than Carlotta's voice!"

"Anyone's voice is better than Carlotta's," she said with a chuckle.

"True, but your voice is angelic! It's the loveliest voice I have ever heard!"

"It . . . It is," she said with hope, but her tone changed, "Or are you just trying to flatter me?"

"No, I truly mean it. It's so beautiful; I want to hear it again. Can you sing for me again?"

"Not now. I've had a long day."

"What about our next lesson? After all, the lead role has a lot of duets. It would be nice for you to sing Carlotta's part while I sing Piangi's."

"You mean _your_ part if those idiot managers would heed my advice," she corrected him.

"Sure, but I want to hear you again."

She was reluctant, but she said, "Fine, but it better help you. The moment you get distracted, I'll stop."

"I promise," he said with a smile. She smiled back at him and took one more glance at the headstone.

"I think I should be heading back before I worry Madame Giry," she said as she picked up her violin from the ground and got up. "Goodbye father." They started walking and soon, they passed by Christopher's father's tomb and she paused herself. She looked at the tomb and noticed he was right next to her.

"I saw the rose you left for my father."

"How do you know it was from me?"

"Only you call me your Angel of Music." Erika blushed. She forgot she wrote that on the note card, but she didn't think he would come today to see the fresh rose.

"So, you visited him today?"

"Yes. I was touched that you did too."

"I might as well. I always noticed the tomb, but never realized who was there until I met you."

"Thank you," he said as he gave her a hug. Her heart was beating faster and faster the longer he hugged her. She fought the urge to push him back and kiss him, but it was so hard for her to handle. When he finally let go, she only stared at him. "So, how did you get here? Did you walk all the way here?"

"Y-yes, I did," she stuttered.

"Your feet must be tired from all that walking,"

"I'll be fine. I've done this every year ever since I came to the Palais Garnier. I can handle it."

"No, I won't allow you. You can ride with me in my carriage," he suggested.

Her eyes widened. "I . . . I don't want to be seen by anyone and your carriage isn't a closed one. Anyone could see us," she said before stopping herself. She meant to say 'me', but she accidentally said 'us'. She blushed at the thought.

"It's fine. You're in a hood, so not a lot of people can see you. Besides, I want to make sure you're not tired for our next lesson," he lied. In reality, he just didn't want to see her walk all alone back to the Palais Garnier. What if someone tried to something bad to her while she was walking?

"Well, if you insist," she reluctantly said as they walked to the carriage. When they finally arrived, they could see that the coachman was sleeping, waiting for him to return. Christopher loudly cleared his throat to get his attention and the round man finally woke up.

"Sorry, sir; I was just tired from all that waiting. You've been gone longer than usual," the man said with a cockney accent. She saw Erika and asked, "Who is this fine lady?"

"She's a dear friend of mine. Now, we would like to go back to the Palais Garnier," Christopher said as he opened the door for her. She entered and could see the coachman ogling her.

"She's a fine looking lady, if I don't say so myself," he said quietly, but not so quiet that they couldn't hear him. She scowled at his comment and he quickly turned around to grab the reins. He slapped them and the carriage started moving.

"It's fine, Erika. Paul is good at what he does, but he can be a . . . ," Christopher said as he tried to find the right word.

"He reminds me of Joseph Buquet," Erika said, "A lecherous man who loves woman, but not in the way he should."

"I guess you're right, but I assure you, he's not as forceful as Buquet. He doesn't try to lift up skirts or spy on girls while they change in their dressing rooms."

"Oh, I hate how he treats women. To him, they're just sexual conquests and nothing else. Somebody needs to put him in his place."

"I agree with you, but there's nothing we can do. Madame Giry told him many times to stop harassing her girls, but he keeps doing it. Some even fall for his schemes."

"I'm just glad you are not like that. You're the complete opposite form that. You care about women on their personalities, not just looks. You don't try to use them," she said as she her head against his shoulder. "You couldn't imagine the pain." Christopher didn't know what she meant, but didn't want to agitate her anymore by asking her. He just let her head rest on his shoulder.

* * *

The next day, Christopher waited at a table for Philippe and Rachel to arrive at the bar. It was five minutes past noon and he was getting anxious. Those two always arrived late to appointments, but he was still worried. Did Philippe already tell Rachel the news? Did she not want to meet him? Did he not find her yesterday? All these questions filled his head, but they finally ceased when he heard the two of them talk outside.

"What is so important that I had to come here? Did you finally get married? How many kids are you going to have?" Rachel joked as she entered the bar.

"No, nothing like that," Philippe said, relieved when he saw Christopher there. "Ah, Christopher, I'm glad you can join us. Mind if we sit with you?"

"No problem."

"Christopher, what are you doing here? Ok, now I'm getting excited! What's the news?" Rachel asked with excitement, but it quickly diminished when she saw the looks on the two men's faces.

"Rachel, you might want to sit down for this," Philippe said with a regretful tone. She took a seat and he finally said, "Our father . . . he, um, he had a heart attack,"

"Oh my goodness, is he all right?"

"No, he's . . . dead," Philippe said as gently as he could.

"Dead? What do you mean dead? A heart attack can't kill anyone?" Rachel said in denial.

"Yes it can, Rachel, and you know it," Christopher said. "I'm so sorry, Rachel. He was a good man. He was like my second father when we were kids. I'm sad to hear him pass."

"No . . . no, he can't be dead! I just got a letter from him a week ago. He has to be fine!"

"Rachel, he died a week ago. He sent that letter just before he passed. I'm so sorry," Philippe said as he hugged his sister.

"No, he can't be! He's . . . he's-," she said as tears started pouring down her face like waterfalls.

"I'll get you something to drink," Philippe said as he left her side. Once he was gone, Rachel quickly hugged Christopher with a mighty force, scaring him at first.

"He's dead. I can't believe it. At least in his letter, he said he was proud of my decision to leave the business and make a life for myself. He said he loved me," she said with a shaky voice.

"It's going to be all right, Rachel. You'll learn to move on and remember the good times you had with him," Christopher said to cheer her up.

"Like you and your father," she said. He turned away from her and she continued, "I shouldn't have mentioned him at a time like this. I mean, he was a good man too, but I bet you're still recovering from his loss."

"I've learned to move on. Yes, he was my life, but he promised me he would send an Angel of Music and he has."

"Right, right, your Angel of Music who is perfectly real and not a figment or your imagination," she said rudely. He gave her a scowl and she turned away with embarrassment, "I'm so sorry, Christopher. I didn't mean for it to come out like that; I'm just not thinking straight, but I'm glad you're here to tell me this. It's nice to hear comforting words from a person who has gone through the same pain. Thank you."

"Here's a bottle of gin to calm your nerves," Philippe said as he came back with a glass and a small bottle of gin. He poured her a glass and she drank it quickly.

"Thank you, Philippe. You always knew how to cheer me up," Rachel said with a smile. After she drank the whole bottle, they decided it was time for her to come home. Luckily, she drank herself to sleep and they carried her into the carriage.

"She must have been emotionally tired if only a small bottle of gin got her to sleep," Philippe said as he set her gently on a seat. "Take us to the Palais Garnier. I'm sure Monsieur Daaé would like to return there before he gets in any trouble."

"Yes, that would be great. Thank you," he said to Philippe. They both entered the carriage and it started moving.

After a while, Philippe looked at Christopher and asked in a curious tone, "Do you love my sister?"

"What? What gave you that idea," he said nervously.

"She talks about you a lot and since you two have been seen around Paris a lot, people have been gossiping about you two becoming a couple. I'll ask you again, do you love my sister?"

"Sure, but not in the way people have suggested. Why do you want to know?"

"I saw you at the cemetery with another woman. Judging by how close she was to you, I would have assumed you two were lovers. She even had her head resting on your shoulder. Who is that woman, if you don't mind me asking?"

"She's my teacher. She was visiting her father's grave and I decided to accompany her home."

Philippe looked at him with shock. "She's your teacher? She's awfully young to be teaching anyone."

"She's amazingly talented. She's the one that inspired me to take the lead role for _Hannibal_."

"Huh, I see. So, she asked you to come with her to the cemetery to visit her dead father? That seems a little odd for a teacher."

"No, I just happened to be visiting my father as well. I saw her crying and had to comfort her."

"Well, I just hope that if you do try to get closer to my sister, you will try to avoid that teacher of yours. She's a very jealous woman and if you two get serious, she wouldn't be happy if she saw you with her."

"I understand," Christopher said, but he couldn't understand why Philippe said that despite he just said that he wasn't technically in love with Rachel. Did he want them to be together? True, he did say that they looked like the cutest couple when they were kids, but that was years ago. They all have matured. "So, is there a special lady in your life," he asked curiously.

"Why, out of all people, would you like to know?"

"Rachel brought it up and I thought a man like you would have gotten married by now."

He quickly looked at Rachel, relieved that she was still asleep, and said, "Yes, I'm married. My wife is a beautiful Spanish girl named Sierra, but she's infertile. She always blamed herself for having this 'curse' on her and her family hates her because she can't give them children, but I'll still love her the same."

"Why keep that secret from Rachel?"

"She says she always wanted to be an aunt, but she can't be if my wife can't procreate. She would be devastated."

"Can't you just say you haven't been lucky?"

"We've been married for seven years. She would be suspicious."

"Oh, well, you have to tell her some time. She's going to find out one way or another."

"I will when we adopt our first kid. We've been looking at orphanages recently and hope we will find the perfect child soon."

"Well, good luck to you."

"Thank you, but I hope you never have an infertile wife, whoever she may be. It's the best gift in the world for a woman to look at her child and say, 'that's mine and I will always love you'."

"Even if she is, I'll love her the same way I would love any other woman. We'll just adopt a child and love him or her no different."

He chuckled. "You have a kind heart, Christopher. Let's just hope you can get my sister, I mean, any woman to see that," Philippe said, cursing under his breath. Christopher smiled with pride.


	6. Heartbroken

Erika was still emotionally exhausted from her journey to the cemetery. Every year, it wore her out, but the longer she did it, the more she appreciated her father for being the only person in her life who cared about her. Consequently, she always felt more tears fall down her cheek every year, but this year was different. Out of all the people that came to the cemetery, why did Christopher have to be the shoulder she could cry on? It was hard enough to suppress her emotions when they had their lessons together, but it was even worse when her emotions were an utter wreck. The only thing standing between them was her father's headstone. Sure, she needed the comfort, but she wished he didn't show up at such a vulnerable time. Despite that, in the back of her mind, she knew that her father would approve a man like Christopher to court her. He might have even allowed him to take her hand in . . . marriage. The thought of them getting married always made her smile, but she knew it would never happen because of her deformity. Who could ever love a woman who wasn't beautiful?

"Angel!" Christopher said in the distance. Erika snapped back into reality as she watched him row into her lair. He eventually parked the boat and came up to her to give her a sudden hug. "Hello, Erika," he whispered in her ear. His hot breath on her ear made her shiver.

"W-Why are you hugging me, I mean, not to be rude or anything, but I'm still not used to being touched," she said as calmly as she could without stammering.

"Well, after yesterday, I thought you might need a hug. You went through a lot."

"That's nice, but could you stop hugging me. We've been hugging for almost a couple of minutes," she said as kindly as she could. He then released her and she gave him an uncomfortable smile. "Well, now that's done, what song would you like to warm up with?"

"How about _My Love_ from Act II?"

"But that's a duet song. We should work on one of the solo songs-,"

"No, I want to start with that one. You promised me."

She looked at him with confusion. "Promise?"

"Don't you remember? You promised me that we would sing together in our next lesson," Christopher reminded. She totally forgot about their promise, especially when she only said that so he would stop pressuring her to sing at the cemetery.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I was distracted all day, but if you want to sing that song, we can," she said as she hurriedly looked through a stack of papers for the sheet music. Eventually, she found it and she was shaky the whole time. Other than yesterday, she never allowed anyone to hear her sing other than her father, and even then, it was an accident that he heard her. "I'm a little nervous."

"Why, my Angel," he asked as he put a hand on hers.

She nervously cleared her throat and said, "I . . . I haven't sang for anyone before, that is, on purpose, for a long time. I never thought anyone would be able to hear my voice again."

"It's not like you're singing on stage. You're just singing to me," he said with a smile. To her, that was just as bad, if not worse.

"All right then," she said as she picked up her violin. She tuned the instrument, which took longer than usual with her shaky hands. Eventually, it was tuned and she started playing the introduction of the song.

 _My love, my love_  
 _Not only are you my darling wife_  
 _You are also my breath of life_  
 _I cannot love anyone but you_  
 _I cannot live without you_  
 _I want to have a place in your heart_  
 _And our love will never break apart_  
 _Please my love, say you love me_  
 _For my heart will break without thee_

Erika was still playing the violin, but she slowed down as her part approaching and she eventually stopped. "I . . . I can't do it. I'm sorry," she said, trying to back away from the piece as if it was going to attack her.

"Erika, there's nothing to be afraid of. You're just singing to me, remember," he said comfortingly, but she shook her head. "All right, if you don't sing the part, I'm afraid I'll have to . . . kiss you," he said teasingly.

Her eyes widened. "W-What?!"

"If you don't sing the part, I'll have to kiss you," he said with a smirk as he advanced toward her. She shrieked and slowly backed away, but he kept chasing her.

"Christopher, don't be childish," she said with a nervous laugh, but he didn't back away.

"Are you going to sing the part or not?"

"All right! All right! I'll do it, but don't pull something like that ever again," she said, now trapped by a wall.

"That's all I wanted," he said as he put his arms by her sides, trapping her. His face was so close to her face that she could practically kiss him and she fought hard not to, but she didn't mind if he kissed her. "Can I ask you a question," he asked in a serious tone.

"What is it?"

"If you're scared to sing in front of me, or anyone for that matter, why did you sing for your father?"

She blushed and looked at the ground for a bit, but said, "He told me I sang like an angel. He said if he only had one thing in the world, he would have my voice in his ears every day."

He smiled. "I told you that you sing like an angel. Why won't you let anyone hear it?"

"I lost my inspiration after he died. I could tell since then that my voice has lost its emotion, but there is nothing I could do to bring it back."

"Well, I hope you get it back," he said as he pulled his arms away. "Now, let's sing our duet." She walked back to the piece and picked up the violin. She started playing the piece over again and he repeated his verse. Then, her part approached and she took a deep breath.

 _My love, my love_  
 _Your heart is strong with passion_  
 _Your looks fill me with attraction_  
 _Your love fills me with satisfaction_  
 _It is not me that needs to say_  
 _That I love you and will never go away_  
 _Please, my love, say that you love me_  
 _For my heart will break without thee_

Christopher stared as she sang her verse. She was transfixed on the sheet of music and didn't notice him staring. Her voice was far more than angelic. It was indescribable. He has never met a woman with such a great voice like her. Not only was she beautiful, deformity and all, but she was talented in more ways than one. Her dedication to music showed that the world was missing so much by shunning her for her face. Her mother didn't know what she was doing when she abused her dear child. Only her father knew how great she was and now, Christopher knew as well. He thought, just maybe, he might be in . . .

"Christopher, you missed your line!" Erika yelled. He snapped back into reality and he saw an angry woman starring at him. "Were you even paying attention this whole time?"

"Sorry, my love, I was just thinking," he said before catching himself. "Sorry, I meant, my Angel. The lyrics are still stuck in my head."

She blushed. Did he just say "my love"? The song did repeat those words often, but he wasn't even paying attention. He was starring at her this whole time. She didn't have to see it to know it. Did he . . .?

"Well, next time, pay attention. I'm singing for you, despite my nerves. If this happens again, I'll stop singing during your lessons."

"It won't happen again, I promise and I'm sorry."

"All right, let's start at the chorus," she said as she picked up the violin and started playing a few measures before it.

 _My love, my love_  
 _How can I live without you_  
 _How can my heart ever love anyone but you_  
 _You are all I ever wanted_  
 _You are all I ever desired_  
 _Please, my love, say that you love me_  
 _For my heart will break without thee_

Erika was trying desperately not to cry in front of Christopher. This song matched her feeling for him perfectly, but she didn't want him to know that. After countless years of emotionless singing, she finally heard passion in her voice. It was Christopher that brought it back and she fought hard not to cry about it. All she did was smile and take a deep breath. "Wow! That was amazing. You sounded wonderful!"

"What do you mean? You were the one that sounded amazing! I've never heard a woman sing with so much passion! You lied to me when you said there was no emotion in your voice," he said with amazement.

"Well, the emotion came back and it's all thanks to you," she said before turning her face away suddenly, cursing under her breath for saying something like that out loud.

"Me? What did I do?"

"You pushed me to sing again. I haven't done that without having to go to the cemetery. Thank you," she said as she hugged him. He embraced her and could hear her cry on his shoulder. She couldn't hold back the tears any longer. He pushed her back, but he still had her in his arms. He brushed away her tears and smiled. She smiled too, but she pushed away when she realized what they were doing. She cleared her throat and asked, "What else would you like to sing?"

* * *

The day of the performance finally arrived and everyone was nervous, especially Madame Giry. She tried to convince the managers multiple times to recast Christopher and Piangi, but they wouldn't listen. Instead, they did everything in her power to make the Phantom upset, even if it meant a less than perfect show. Regardless, she made sure at least her girls danced perfectly, hoping that it will be the only thing in this show she'll like if the show was terrible.

As seats filled in the theater, the managers made sure that they were in Box 5 along with the Viscountess de Chagny, who paid extra to get the best view in the house. They made sure that they arrived early so that the Phantom would not lock the door on them, but that wasn't the end of her haunting. Before the show began, they could hear a voice say, "Excuse me, messieurs and mademoiselle, but I'm afraid you're in my box."

"Don't you dare get up from your seats," Rachel said to the managers, who were still looking for the source of the voice. "The moment you leave this box, she will come in and lock the door. I should know." Even when the door opened mysteriously, she told them to stay in their seats.

"If that's how it's going to be, then I'm afraid your little show won't go without a hitch like we promised. Let this be a lesson for you."

"We aren't afraid of your antics, Phantom! There is nothing you can do to stop the show, even if you brought down the chandelier!" Firmin said to the mysterious voice, but received no reply.

The curtain parted and the principle characters entered the stage in their luxurious costumes and over-the-top makeup. Erika watched the show in the shadows above the stage, even with the stage crew working the entire time. She kept an extra watchful eye on Buquet, who was drinking out of a whisky bottle. Then, Christopher came on stage and the audience was surprised by the casting choice, but they laughed at him, regardless. This angered Erika deeply; he wasn't supposed to be the laughingstock of the show; he was supposed to be the star!

When Piangi came on stage to sing his solo song, Erika said with a loud voice, "Did I not instruct that Christopher Daaé was going to sing your part. If you dare to sing a single note, I will see to it that you'll never sing again!" The whole cast looked around the stage for the source of the voice. Some even screamed at the sound of the voice. Only Christopher knew who the voice belonged to. Despite the warning, Piangi still sang a line from the song, which made Erika scream in agony. "I warned you, Piangi!"

"Ladies and gentleman, we apologize for this rude intrusion. Let us start the scene over again and hope for no further intrusion," Andre said to the audience. The show went on and in between scenes, Piangi would use voice serum to enhance his voice, but what he didn't know was that Erika switched the bottle with a poison that swelled the throat of anyone who drank it. When Piangi started to sing, he sounded normal, but it later kicked in and he started to cough uncontrollably. The audience started to laugh, thinking it was part of the show, but Piangi was yelling bloody murder in between coughs. Cast members pulled him off stage and the managers freaked out.

"Ladies and gentleman, we apologize! We will continue the show momentarily when the role of the Count will be played by Christopher Daaé. In the meantime, we will show you the ballet from Act III. Please stay in your seats and remain patient," Firmin said frantically.

"What is a maiden like you doing up here," a cockney voice said. Erika slowly turned around and saw Joseph Buquet staring at her. "My, my, you look lovely. Mind if I show you the secrets of the Palais Garnier. I'm promise you'll be safe in my care," he said as advanced toward her, but she ran away. Luckily, she knew her way around the catwalk above the stage, but so did he. "Wait, why are you running? I see, you want to play cat and mouse. All right, but you'll get caught," he said with a drunken, but perverted tone. She ran, but no matter where she went, he found her. Eventually, he caught her and held her waist. "I caught you!" She was scared for her life, especially since he was so close and she knew exactly what he wanted to do to her. She found a loose noose around them and grabbed it to put around his neck, hoping he would try to take it off and set her free, but it didn't seem to bother him. "Oh, you want to get kinky, don't you?"

"Get away from me!" Erika screamed as she pushed him off her, but she pushed him too much. With the noose still around his neck, he lost his balance and fell off the platform to the stage below. She watched in horror as she saw him fall and struggle to free himself the noose, but it was too late and died of suffocation.

* * *

The audience and cast members below screamed as they saw Buquet's lifeless body hung above them. People started flooding the aisles to exit the Palais Garnier, trying desperately to get away from the horror. The managers begged them all to return, but even they eventually left their box to call for help.

Rachel raced backstage and saw Christopher head upstairs to the balcony. "Wait! Christopher!"

He turned around and she could see he was frantic. "Rachel! If you want to talk to me, please come upstairs with me. I need fresh air."

"Sure," she said as she accompanied him upstairs. They finally reached the balcony and could see the lovely sights of the city, but it didn't matter after what just happened. "Christopher, what happened back there? I mean, I know you didn't do it, but someone did it in your name!"

"She couldn't have done it. She couldn't have done it," he said to himself, but she still heard him.

"She? Who is this she?" Rachel asked with jealousy.

"My . . . My Angel of Music."

"Is she a real person? I was certain she was a figment of your imagination."

"You thought I would make up someone like her? I see her every day after rehearsals and have lessons together. Why would I make that up?"

"I don't know, to be honest with you, but this angel is the Phantom of the Opera! She's not to be trusted."

"I know her personally and she wouldn't do this! She's too kindhearted to do something diabolical like killing someone," Christopher defended.

"Wake up, Christopher," Rachel said with fear, "This angel of yours is the Angel of Death, not Music. For a kindhearted woman, she sure has a funny way of showing it."

"No, this isn't her. It must have been someone else. Maybe it was an accident."

"You heard her threaten Piangi and look what happened to him! He's at the infirmary right now to cure his poisoned throat. You still don't think it was her?"

He didn't reply. He knew she had a point, but he also knew Erika. She was shunned by the world and no one showed her kindness, but she still showed compassion to those she cared about and she never killed anyone before. "She . . .,"

"She wants you to be the star and she'll do anything, even kill, to get you there. She is obsessed with you! There's nothing natural about an obsession. With a mind twisted as hers, she loves you, but too much. The Phantom killed someone and will kill again. Can't you see that? You're the only one who's benefiting from her demands. Does anyone else have to die before you realize that?"

"She . . . she wouldn't . . .," Christopher was at a loss for words. Could she really have done this just because he didn't get the part? True, she was upset when she heard the news, but he never thought she would kill.

"She's insane. Living in the shadows of the Palais Garnier and pretending to be a ghost must have put a toll on her sanity to the point where she truly believes she is the Phantom of the Opera."

"No, she's perfectly sane. She only lives in the shadows because of her face."

"Her face?"

"It is deformed. I've seen it and I shrieked, but-,"

"Oh my god! How did you survive? I heard if anyone saw her face, they would die!" Rachel said with concern.

"Please tell me you don't believe in those stories."

"Well, I hear the stories, but judging by her insanity, I wouldn't be surprised if they were true," she said before pausing. "I know this is a bad time, but how do you feel about me, Christopher?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know we were childhood sweethearts, but I've realized when you were gone that you were the only friend who ever cared about me. When we last saw each other, you told me that you loved me and all I said was 'see you soon', but I should have said 'I love you too'," she said as she grabbed his hand. "Christopher, I will protect from everything this maniac will try to do to you. I won't let anything bad happen to you because I . . . I still love you and not just a friendship; it's the real thing. Do you still feel the same for me?"

Christopher looked at her in surprise. She . . . she still loved him, even after all these years. He thought she might have, but she never thought she would confess to him, especially now. Rachel looked at him with puppy dog eyes, waiting for his answer. Finally, he said, "Yes, I love you too-,"

"Oh thank god!" Rachel said as she kissed him. The kiss was passionate, or at least in her mind. She wanted their lips to never separate, but after a while, he pushed away. In his mind, he felt as if he was betraying someone.

"Christopher," a weak feminine voice said, or at least, he heard one. He pulled away to see where the voice came from, but didn't see anyone. It couldn't have been Rachel since there was no way anyone could talk and kiss at the same time.

"What's wrong," she asked.

"Did you hear someone call my name?"

"No, I didn't," she said with a confused tone.

"Rachel, I'm sorry, but I have to go," he said as he tried to leave her side, but she grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry. I picked a bad time to confess my love. I should have waited . . . ," she said as tears began to form in her eyes.

"It's all right, Rachel. Tomorrow, we can go on a lunch date and talk things out. Is that okay with you?"

"I . . . I would like that," she said, wiping away the tears. She let go of his hand and he headed straight for his dressing room, hoping that Erika could tell him what was going on.

He arrived to the lake, but saw that the boat that would normally take him to her home was not there. Why wasn't there a boat here? She always had a boat here. "Erika!" he yelled, but got no reply. He expected that due to the distance, but thought that maybe she could hear him. He thought about swimming all the way to her, but he thought she maybe she needed some space. Even if she didn't kill Buquet, she might have been traumatized by the experience. After a while, he gave up his mission to find her and headed back to his dressing room.

* * *

"It's all right, Erika," Madame Giry said as she placed a loving hand on a crying Erika. She was crying in a pillow on her bed and Madame Giry rushed all the way down to ask her what happened. "Please tell me what happened up there?"

"Madame Giry . . . I . . . ," she tried to say in between sobs, but she couldn't speak. Too many things were in her mind: Buquet's death, the screaming people down below, people blaming her for what happened, and . . . Christopher and Rachel's kiss. She wouldn't have been such a mess if she didn't witness that kiss. She tried to find him to explain to him what happened, but instead had to witness her influence him into thinking she was a villain and then they kissed. She was so heartbroken that she immediately left after their lips touched. She fought hard to suppress tears, but when she went through the mirror, she couldn't help but cry her eyes out.

"Did you have anything to do with what happened?"

"Y-Yes, but it was an accident," she said as she looked up at Madame Giry. "Buquet found me above the stage and chased me. He finally caught me and I put a noose around his neck so he would let me go, but he didn't. I pushed him off me, but he lost his balance and fell."

"It wasn't your fault, Erika," Madame Giry comforted.

"But I still put that noose around his neck," she said as she turned her head away from Madame Giry. "You don't understand. I killed someone . . . again. I made a vow to never kill again after everything that happened in that circus and I've broken it."

"This time, it wasn't your fault. Besides, you killed your handler out of self-defense. You're not a cold-blooded killer."

"Madame Giry, that wasn't my first murder," she said, now facing her. Madame Giry's eyes widened with surprise.

"What do you mean," she asked with fear in her voice.

"I never told you this, but when I was in that circus, not only did they abuse me, but they turned me into a weapon. The ringleader, who called himself Shah, trained me in the art of murder and my first mission was to kill the only person who knew of my existence: my own mother. He said if I didn't do it, he would kill me and leave my carcass out to be eaten by birds. I was scared and I became a murderer at the age of ten."

Madame Giry looked at her with tears forming in her eyes. "How could they do that to you?"

"They didn't care. They said my deformed face brought fear into the victims I was assigned to kill. The Shah told me to kill people during the night, whether they were rowdy guests or pesky performers. I've lost count how many people I killed and it didn't stop until you came to help me escape." Madame Giry gave her a hug and tears rolled down both of their cheeks.

"I . . . I didn't know."

"Now everyone is calling me, or at least the Phantom of the Opera, a murderer."

"Not true. I bet Christopher doesn't think that." At the sound of his name, she put her face in the pillow and started crying again. "What's wrong?"

"I saw him with Rachel. She was telling him lies, making him believe I was a maniac. She said I was obsessed and would kill in order to make him the star and the worst part is that he started to believe her lies. She then had the nerve to confess her love for him and then they . . .," she said as she continued to sob in her pillow.

"Oh, I see, but you should have told him you loved him when I told you. He would have known how you felt."

"Oh yeah, because he could love someone like me," she said with sarcastic anger. "Who would? I'm hideous and have done terrible things in my past. If I told him half the things I've done, he would run away screaming. My face . . .," she said as she paused herself. "He has seen my face."

"How did he react," Madame Giry said with surprise.

"Well, he pulled off the mask suddenly, so I yelled at him and he cowered, but he didn't seem . . . too frightened. He actually told me that my beauty was on the inside and despite my face, he still found me beautiful. He even got to hear me sing."

"You sang to him?" Madame Giry said in surprise. It took her years for Erika to sing in front of her.

"Yeah and he told me that I sang like an angel. Oh, Madame Giry, I finally found emotion in my voice and it's all thanks to him," she said with glee, but then her smile disappeared. "I thought he might have loved me because he said such nice things to me that made my heart flutter, but it doesn't matter now. He loves that Viscountess de Chagny, not me. How could I fool myself into thinking a man as handsome, talented, and kind-hearted as him would ever have any feelings for me?"

"Don't say that! You know he cares about you deeply. You just need to talk to him and explain how you feel."

"Why? He won't feel the same about me. I don't want to hurt myself any more by telling him how I feel when I know he loves someone else."

"Well, it's better than allowing him to hurt you by making him unaware of your love. Just confess and you'll feel better," Madame Giry advised, but she only cried into her pillow. "I'll leave you alone for a bit. Just call me if you need anything," she said as she left her side to the sofa nearby.

Madame Giry never saw her like this. True, she was a depressed teenager when she first brought her to the Palais Garnier, but this was different. As a teenager, she was reclusive because of the scars of the circus and didn't talk to her. She remained in the darkness until she eventually warmed up to Madame Giry. Now, she was heartbroken. It was clear that Erika truly loved Christopher with all her heart and it was sad to see him love someone else who probably didn't love him as much as she did. Madame Giry found it odd that he chose to love Rachel since whenever he and Madame Giry talked, he didn't seem to have a strong fascination towards her. Sure, there was something between them, but she didn't think it was love. She assumed it was just a strong friendship. Whenever they talked about his Angel of Music, he said such wonderful things about her with a slight hint that he might have loved her. That's what gave Madame Giry hope that they would be together, but Erika never told her feelings for him and now it was too late.

An hour past when Madame Giry got up from the sofa to make something for Erika to eat. She walked to the kitchen and saw that only a bowl of fruit and a bottle of sherry were left. She thought she needed to buy some food for her, especially since she was this heartbroken. She got a red apple, sliced it with a silver knife into four pieces, and put it on a plate. She carried it into her bedroom, but saw that Erika was asleep. The poor girl finally cried herself to sleep. Madame was about to set the plate on the nightstand, but noticed that she placed her mask on it. Erika said she never liked wearing her mask when she slept since it was uncomfortable, but she was surprised that she had the energy to take it off. She sat on the bed next to her, making sure she didn't disturb her. Her deformed face was covered by the pillow, but Madame Giry slowly moved her body so she could see her face. Finally, she managed to do it and saw the deformity that put fear and disappointment in people's hearts, except for hers. Madame Giry was no longer frightened by her face, but instead, it was a reminder that Erika deserved much more than she got in life. She looked so peaceful when she slept, but Madame Giry could also see the streaks of tears on her cheeks.

How could Christopher not love her? Christopher saw her face and said she was beautiful, despite Erika's low self-esteem. A normal man would have run away when they realized the woman they thought was beautiful had a major deformity, but not him. If anything, it intrigued him. He wanted to know more about his deformed, but beautiful angel. Still, he chose to be with Rachel. True, she was beautiful, young, and rich, but she believed she wasn't the right woman for him. To her, Erika was his perfect match, but she didn't want to say anything to him.

* * *

Madame Giry finally arrived to the hallway leading to the dressing room in the middle of the night. She had to make sure that she was still asleep before she left because she feared that she might hurt herself out of depression. She did in the past. By the time she arrived to the dressing room, she noticed that the place was dark. She found a candelabrum on the vanity and lit it with some nearby matches. When light entered the room, she noticed a piece of paper on the vanity. She put the candelabra closer to the paper and read what it said.

 _Erika, I really need to see you as soon as possible. I need to know the truth and I have to tell you something very important. I'll come to the lake every night and hopefully you'll have a boat waiting for me. Please let me see you!_

 _-Christopher_

She thought about taking the note and handing it to Erika back in her lair, but she assumed that Erika would come up when she felt better and read the note herself. Maybe Christopher will see her when he goes to the lake. Either way, she decided to leave the note there and left the room to go home. Unfortunately for her, Erika wouldn't come up to the Palais Garnier for the next three months. No one, not Christopher nor Madame Giry, would be able to see her during this time.


	7. What Have I Become

For the next three months, there were no disturbances from the Phantom of the Opera, relieving the managers and the cast members, but worrying Madame Giry and Christopher. Madame Giry tried seeing Erika many times after she realized she wasn't up in the Palais Garnier for a long time, but when she arrived to the lake, she saw the boat was never there. Erika must have taken the boat so no one could see her, especially Christopher. She also noticed that the note he left looked untouched and it was even gathering dust. Christopher did keep his promise of visiting the lake every night, but he always came back disappointed. As time passed, he felt betrayed by the person he truly cared about. Why didn't she want to see him? They haven't had a lesson since the accident and he really wanted to talk to her. He heard people saying that the Phantom of the Opera was a madwoman and a psychopath and he always wanted to argue she wasn't, but he feared people would ask questions or think he was the Phantom.

One day, Madame Giry came back up from the lake and checked through the mirror. No one was there, like usual. She opened the mirror, but before she could close it, she heard the door open and in came Christopher. He was surprised to see the mirror open and thought it was Erika before he realized it was Madame Giry. Her face was bright red. "C-C-Christopher, what are you doing here," she asked nervously as she quickly closed the mirror, hoping he didn't see.

"This is _my_ dressing room, Madame Giry. What are _you_ doing here? Did you come to visit Erika," he asked.

"Erika? Who's that," she lied. She made it mission for Christopher to not know she knew Erika personally because she feared he might put their safety in jeopardy if he ever told anyone.

"You know who I'm talking about. She told me, well, mentioned your name, when I came to visit her one time. Besides, you had the mirror open." The jig was up.

She sighed. "Fine, yes, I was going to visit her, but she doesn't have the boat there. She hasn't been up here for a long time and I fear for her health."

"Have you seen her at all? I'm worried sick about her," he said with a worried tone. For a man who broke her heart, he was really determined to see her.

"Not since the opening show."

"What happened to her? Ever since that show, she seemed to disappear. How was she when you last saw her?"

"She was in tears. She believed that everyone would call her a murderer and she didn't want you to think that."

"Well, why won't she talk to me? I haven't seen her at all and I even left a note for her," he said as he pointed to the note. "It looks like she hasn't even seen it."

She sighed, but said in a disappointed tone, "How are you and Rachel handling the situation?"

"Rachel is trying hard to help me forget about the accident and rekindle our relationship, but why would you ask?"

"What has she been telling you," Madame Giry asked, completely ignoring his question.

He looked at her with a confused face. "Well, other than she loves me with all her heart, she says I should leave the Palais Garnier and especially stay away from my Angel of Music since she is obsessed with me."

"Do you believe that?" He didn't respond. He only looked at the ground and debated his answer. "Oh, you naïve boy! You don't realize how much you hurt her," she said before pausing herself. She said too much. She tried to leave, but was interrupted by Christopher's questions.

"Hurt her? What do you mean?"

"You still don't understand," she said as she left the room, leaving him perplexed.

"Hurt her? How did I hurt her?" Christopher said to himself. He saw the note on the vanity and decided to write something else with it. He brushed off the dust from it and picked up the quill and ink to write "PS I'm sorry" underneath his signature.

* * *

Some weeks later, Christopher and Philippe waited anxiously for Rachel to meet them at a cafe near the Palais Garnier, but she was late, as usual. "I swear, my little sister can never arrive on time for anything even if her life depended on it," Philippe said.

"Maybe she saw something shiny in a store and decided to buy it," Christopher joked. They both laughed.

"If that were the case, she won't be here for another three hours."

"Besides, I have something special for her that I'm sure she'll love."

"And what is that?" Philippe asked curiously. Christopher reached into his pocket and pulled out a little velvet box and inside was a beautiful diamond ring that sparkled in the sunlight. "Christopher, are you going to propose to my little sister," Philippe asked with surprise.

"Yes. Ever since she admitted her feelings for me, she has tried hard to rekindle our relationship and luckily for her, it worked. We've been on many dates and she has comforted me since the accident. She supports my talents and even though she wants me to leave the Palais Garnier, she is willing to let me perform at another opera house. She truly loves me and I love her too. I only ask that you are willing to give us your blessing as the patriarch of your family," Christopher said with a smile as he put the box back in his pocket.

"You know I would be more than willing to give you my blessing. Rachel has always had a fascination towards you and I believe you are the perfect man for her. I just hope she says yes, but I doubt she wouldn't. Oh, you have made me that happiest brother-in-law in the world," he said as he hugged his future brother.

A few minutes later, Rachel finally arrived to their table and was just expecting a regular lunch, but noticed that Philippe was too happy for a regular lunch. "Brother, is there something you need to tell me?"

"I don't, but I think Christopher does," Philippe said with a smile.

"Christopher? Is there something you would like to say?"

"Well, I . . . how do I say this," he said nervously. He grabbed her hand and said, "Rachel, you know that I love you and you've made me a happy man, but I don't want to be your lover anymore."

"What do you mean? Are you leaving me?" Rachel asked with tears forming in her eyes.

"No, I want to be your husband. Rachel de Chagny, will you marry me?" Christopher said as he got on one knee and pulled out the box with the ring on it.

Rachel was speechless, but tears rolled down her eyes. After a few moments, she finally muttered, "Yes!" He put the ring on her wedding finger and they shared a passionate kiss. The people surrounding them cheered as they congratulated the new couple.

"We need to make wedding preparations as soon as we can! I'll even pay for the whole thing to ensure that my little sister has the best wedding in the world," Philippe announced as he hugged the new couple. "So what's first?"

"Well, let's keep this as low-key as we can, please, that is, until the masquerade ball later this month," Christopher suggested. "Then I can show off my fiancé to everyone in attendance. I'm sure everyone will be thrilled by the news."

"Fine, we can wait, but I'm picking the costumes you two should wear. It needs to scream romance!"

* * *

The night of the masquerade ball finally arrived and it was filled with excitement and wonder as fireworks filled the air and guest came in extravagant costumes and masks. There were drinks everywhere and clearly some people had too much. The managers dressed as a skeleton and a demon while Carlotta and Piangi dressed as gods while Meg Giry dressed as the Mad Hatter. Madame Giry was the only person who didn't fully dress up since she only wore a black mask and gown. Christopher and Rachel were the main attraction since they were dressed as a prince and princess. Although his outfit was simple, Rachel was the true belle of the ball with her beautiful dress that was a perfect mix of pink and blue. However, when another guest came in, she took the attention away from the couple and toward her. "Who could that be," most people asked.

The mystery woman had pale skin, but black hair that was wrapped into a bun. She wore an extravagant red dress, long red gloves, a satchel that seemed to carry something inside, and a flamboyant hat, but what drew everyone was her skull mask that covered her entire face. Despite the crowd gathering around her, she moved away and danced with the rest of the party. Couples split up to dance with new partners and Christopher and Rachel were no exception. "May I have this dance, your majesty," Firmin in a devil costume said to Rachel with a bow.

"Of course, Diablo," she joked as she took his hand and they danced for the duration of the song. Christopher tried to walk away from the crowd, but was stopped by the mystery woman.

"May I have this dance, monsieur," she said, but he swore he knew that voice.

"Of course, mademoiselle," he said as he grabbed her hand. They pulled each other closer and got into position to dance. However, when he looked at her eyes, he saw a sapphire blue that he couldn't mistake. "Erika," he said, but she shushed him.

"Be quiet! I don't want anyone to know I'm here. I just came to see the managers, but I couldn't help but notice that you and your . . . date were here together."

"Erika, where have you been? I've tried to see you since the accident! I wanted to talk to you!"

"Keep your voice down! I don't want your date to-," she tried to say, but she saw Rachel walking toward them with a jealous look in her eye. She abruptly pulled away from him and quickly left his side to look for the managers.

"Well, I'm surprised you received the opportunity to meet the belle of the ball, even if it was short lived. So, have you figured out who she is?"

"She's . . . She's my Angel of Music," he said with disappointment. He finally found her, but she still didn't want to talk to him.

"Wait, the Phantom of the Opera is here with us," Rachel yelled, unaware of her volume. The people around her looked in terror.

"The Phantom is here? Where is she? What is she wearing," people asked. They looked around and saw that the mystery woman was approaching the managers who were at the top of the enormous staircase. "There she is! The Phantom of the Opera!"

They all looked to the staircase and the woman stop in her tracks at the sound of her name. The managers looked at her and they had fear in their eyes. She turned to face the crowd that finally quieted as they realized who the mystery woman was and she gave a smile. "Why are you all so silent? Did you think that I had left you for good? True, I haven't been caused any trouble in the last three months, but that's only because I was busy with other things. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you _my_ opera," Erika said with villainy as she reached into her satchel and pulled out a red manuscript. On the cover, it said _Don Juan Triumphant_. "This is my magnum opus and I want it to be shown here in the Palais Garnier."

"Why would we do that," Andre asked rudely. She pulled out her gun from her satchel and pointed it at the managers. They cowered in fear and she gave them a little chuckle.

"Do you have anything else to say, messieurs," she said as she cocked her gun. They shook their heads vigorously and she chuckled. "All right, so will you debut my show or will I have to do something you would regret."

"W-We'll debut it," Firmin said as he took the manuscript from her hand cautiously. She then turned to the audience and could see Christopher and Rachel in the front. Her smirk turned into a scowl as she walked toward the couple. Everyone backed away, including Rachel, but Christopher stayed. Rachel signaled him to back away, but he didn't listen. Erika walked toward him until they were finally face to face.

"And our star, Christopher Daaé will be our Don Juan. He has the talent to fulfill his role," she said with a smile, but she turned to the rest of the crowd and continued, "Which is more than I can say for the rest of you! My managers must learn that their place is an office and not the art! La Carlotta must be taught to act, not just a helpless attempt of strutting around the stage. Piangi, I must say that if you want to keep your job, I suggest you try to improve your singing, if that is what you call it. If you can't, I suggest you leave immediately!"

"Erika, this isn't you. You wouldn't hurt a soul," he said with concern.

"You would be surprised how much suffering I can cause," she said, but Rachel came up to them and put herself between them. "What do you think you're doing, Viscountess?"

"I'm protecting my fiancé from the monster you have become," she said. Christopher tried to chide her for saying such an awful thing, but Erika's eyes widened with shock for a different reason.

"You two . . . are engaged," she asked in disbelief. Rachel nodded, but Christopher didn't answer. She then suddenly grabbed Rachel's throat and pointed her gun to her head. Rachel had difficulty breathing as Erika put more pressure on her throat. "I should kill you now, you little bitch!"

"Erika! Please! Don't do this," Christopher yelled. Erika stared intensely at him, but eventually let her go and Rachel finally caught her breath. He made sure his fiancé was all right and Erika left their side.

"Rehearsals begin soon, everyone. Make sure you try your best because if you don't, I assure you that I will handle with you personally," she threatened as the lights suddenly turned off and she left in the cover of darkness. When the lights turned back on, everyone was terrified by the new deadly Phantom of the Opera that they could not enjoy the rest of their party. Most left immediately, but only the managers, Madame Giry, Meg, Rachel, and Christopher stayed behind. All of them headed for the managers' office to look through the new production.

"This isn't music! This is just a mess of notes and vocals. Not only that, but she wants certain members fired and replaced with 'better' performers. This is lunacy," Firmin yelled as he examined the manuscript.

"She wants this part to be spoken? In fact, there are many parts that say 'spoken'. This is blasphemy! People come to operas to hear the singers sing," Andre yelled.

"She's trying something that has never been done before. Maybe there is a genius behind her madness," Meg said timidly.

"It's madness all right, but I can't see the genius! It's just one huge mess," Firmin said finally throwing the manuscript on the floor with anger.

"It may be difficult to pull off, but we have to do it. You heard what she said," Madame Giry said as picked it up from the floor.

"I know, I know, but I can't deal with a madwoman with a gun running our theater. The last thing we need is another dead body around here," Andre said as he put a hand on his face.

"Wait, we have all been blind and yet the answer is staring at us in the face," Rachel said with an epiphany. "This could be the chance to capture this madwoman."

"Go on," the managers said, intrigued by what she said.

"We'll debut her show and do everything she asks for, but we will have the police here to get rid of our little pest. We have seen that she is a woman and not a ghost, so we can catch her and if Christopher sings, she will certainly attend."

"What a brilliant idea! If the police are at every door, there is no way she can escape and they can arrest her, if not put her down. Rachel, you are a genius," Firmin praised as he went to hug the young woman.

"This is madness! Why would you make a man betray his own Angel of Music," Madame Giry argued.

"So you're behind this," the managers asked.

"No, I am not! I am saying that they clearly have some type of relationship between them and I'm afraid that doing such a thing would break his heart!"

"She's obsessed with him, Madame Giry. She doesn't want what's best for him, but rather force him to be part of her fantasy. She has to go before anyone else gets killed. Will you help us Christopher," Rachel asked, but received no reply. She looked around the office and saw he was nowhere in sight. "Christopher? Where did he go?"

"He told me he had to leave. After everything tonight, he needed some fresh air, but I'm not sure where he went exactly," Meg claimed.

"Oh, then I guess I'll see him tomorrow morning I have a lot of planning to do and I'll see you all soon," Rachel said with slight happiness in her voice. They all exchanged farewells and went home. Today was a very exhausting day.

* * *

"Why did he have to be there?!" Erika went back to her lair and just threw herself on the pillow again to cry. She took off the skull mask and hat, but left on the dress since she was in no mood to change. The only successful thing about this evening was giving her manuscript to the managers, but it did not go as expected. She didn't wanted anyone to know that she was the Phantom of the Opera until she talked to the managers, but Rachel had to say who she was in front of everyone. Oh, Rachel. The thought of her made her blood boil. That conniving bitch made her life a living hell. She stole the man she loved away from her and filled his mind with lies. She wished that she took the shot and killed her right when she had her, but Christopher begged her not to. Oh, Christopher. Seeing him again made her feel mixed emotions. On one hand, she felt heartbroken. The man was so naïve that he didn't realize how much he loved her throughout all this time and he instead chose a woman he said before that he didn't really love. On the other hand, he made her heart flutter. She tried as hard as she could to be as threatening as possible to the managers, but seeing him just made her want to cry in front of everyone. She loved him! How could she hate him? Despite everything, she could find it in her heart to forgive him.

"Erika," a voice cooed. She quickly turned around and her heart nearly skipped a beat. It was Christopher! How did he get here? There was no boat to take him to her home. She quickly put on her normal black mask so he wouldn't see her deformity, got up from the bed, and walked toward him. She looked at his clothes and saw that they were soaking wet. He must have swum all the way over here. She felt touched at first that he would do something like that, but she couldn't let him know that.

"What are you doing here? I thought not having my boat by your dressing room was a clear sign that I did not want to see you!"

"I know, but I need to know what is going on with you? I know you and this isn't you," he said. He noticed that her hair was no longer in the bun and now flowed down her shoulders. Her makeup was smudged and he could see mascara running down her cheek as if she was just crying. Her eyes were red and puffy just like they were at the cemetery and he felt his heart sink.

She laughed. "If you really knew me, you wouldn't have kissed Rachel."

"What do you mean?"

"You still haven't figured it out? How stupid can you be? Why else would a woman hate the fact you kissed another woman?"

He thought about it for a while and finally understood why she had been so distant since the accident. "Did you . . . love me?"

"You truly think you know me? You have no goddamn idea who I am. Yes, I love you! I have loved you for a long time now, but you never noticed. You said such nice things to me that no one else ever told me before and I thought that maybe . . . just maybe you could love me. Despite my face, I thought I could try to find a way to win your heart, but instead, you gave all your love to that Viscountess girl!"

He was dumbfounded. "I-I'm so sorry, Erika. I didn't know . . . I mean . . . I tried to see you throughout these months, but you never wanted to see me. I wanted to ask you what happened back then, but I assumed that you were traumatized by the experience and needed space. However, you didn't make an effort to contact me since then," he said angrily.

"Don't get angry at me! I didn't do anything to you. You were the one that broke my heart by kissing Rachel on that balcony."

"Erika, I can explain-,"

"No, you can't lie to me. I saw you two. I saw her feed lies into your mind to make you believe I was the villain and you started to believe them!"

"I never believed you were a monster. Even now, I still don't believe you are a monster, now that I understand why you are like this, but realize I was hurt when you didn't even try to talk to me. I thought you didn't want to see me anymore and Rachel was the only person who I could feel happiness with. That's why I proposed to her."

"Well, forgive me for feeling so heartbroken by your betrayal. If you weren't at the ball, I would have killed that girl, even if she wasn't your fiancée!"

"There's no way you could! I mean, you never killed someone in your life, not even Buquet . . . did you," he asked, afraid to hear her answer.

After a hesitation, she said, "Yes I did and I would do it again to get rid of the suffering in my heart!" He tried to walk up to her and maybe give her a hug, but she ran to her bedroom and grabbed her gun to point at Christopher. "Now, I think it would be wise for you to leave. You can take the boat if you have to, but just leave!"

"Erika, please," he begged, but she only cocked her gun. In defeat, he decided to head for a boat and get in. "I just hope you have it in your heart to forgive me and hopefully I can forgive you." He started rowing back to the dressing room with tears falling down his cheek. He never thought that his Angel of Music could be so cruel to him now, even though he caused her to behave like this. In a way, he felt guilty for making her the monster she had become.

When she knew he was at a far distance, she felt tears roll down her cheek. She dropped her gun, curled herself into a ball, and cried on her knees. "What has happened to me? I vowed to never kill anyone again and now I'm more than willing to kill over a man! Even worse, I pointed a gun to the man I love. He'll . . . He'll never find it in his heart to forgive me after that! What have I become?"


	8. So Close

"Past the point of no return. No going back now. Our fashion play has now at last begun-," Carlotta said before she was interrupted by Reyer.

"No! No! No! It's 'passion', not 'fashion'! Get your head away from the clouds and pay attention," he yelled.

"I'm sorry, but I'm under a lot of pressure! You've seen what she did to my costumes after last week's rehearsal, correct? She's just jealous because she doesn't possess the talent to make good music," Carlotta barked.

"Signora, you wouldn't say that if the composer was here, would you," Madame Giry asked.

"She isn't here!"

"How do you know that?" With nervousness, Carlotta looked around the stage and seats for any sign of the Phantom, but didn't see anything. Regardless, she didn't speak ill of her for the rest of the rehearsal. Weeks have passed since the masquerade ball and everyone has worked hard to try to appease the Phantom of the Opera. Ever since her appearance, people could finally see that she was a real person; no longer just a ghost or a myth. Everyone saw her in the flesh and they were terrified. Anything they did could upset the Phantom. Whether it was a wrong step, terrible costume design, or bad pitch, she would do something devious to that person, whether it was ruined costumes, poisoned serums, broken instruments or even physically hurting them. The most recent malicious act she did was cause a dancer to break her leg when she continuously messed up her routine. She wanted the show to be perfect, even suggesting to the managers who should be hired and who should leave. Despite protests, they would follow some of her orders.

One day, Christopher was too sick to sing and they had rehearsals scheduled for principle roles. "We can't cancel this rehearsal," Firmin said to the cast, "We need this rehearsal if we want to be on top of things. Christopher, you can sit this one out, but Piangi will sing your part for now."

"I rather not," Piangi yelled in fear for his life.

"Please, for the sake of art."

"Ha, you call this shhh-gibberish art?"

"Just for now! It's not like you are going to take his part. We can't cancel this rehearsal and we need a Don Juan," Andre persuaded.

After some time, Piangi reluctantly agreed. He kept his chorus costume on while he played the part and helped Carlotta with her part. Everything was going well with no interruptions, that was, until he sang the wrong line. Once he realized his mistake, a sand bag, aiming for his head, fell with little warning. He quickly moved out of the way and cast members screamed their lungs out. "All right; that's the last straw! I quit," Piangi yelled as he left the stage.

"You can't quit! You have a contract with us for another three seasons," Firmin said, trying desperately to stop him.

"I can't work under these conditions! She has it in for me! I bet that Daaé boy is behind all of this!"

"How dare you accuse me," Christopher yelled in a raspy voice. "Why would I plan such a horrific scheme to be the star? If I had it my way, I wouldn't even be part of this show!"

"Whether you're behind this or not, she is wishing for my death, so I'll give her the alternative. I will return when this Phantom girl is gone! Until then, I shall be in Italy!" Piangi left the Palais Garnier, even keeping his costume on. The cast members mumbled amongst each other while the managers were dumbfounded by what just happened.

"Bloody hell! This Phantom is going to run us out of business! I just hope Rachel knows what she is doing with this show," Andre said to Firmin.

"It still makes sense. We obey her demands for the most part and she has to come to see her own show. Once she is alone and defenseless, we catch her and get rid of her. We just have to deal with this nonsense until then."

Christopher was upset by everything that has happened recently. Not only did he have to participate in this show, but he was also bait for Erika to come to the show. At first, he refused to be part of the plan when Rachel told him, but after a while of self-debating, he finally agreed, but only to secretly warn Erika. The only problem was that she still didn't want to see him, even after everything down in her lair. All he can do now is hope she doesn't show up, but he knows that won't happen for two reasons. First, she created this opera; how could she miss it? Second, he was supposed to be the main character. Even with bitter feelings, she wouldn't miss him sing.

As the debut day got closer and closer, the plot of the opera was revealed. It was about a man named Don Juan, a notorious lady's man who could get any woman he wanted. However, he is forced into an arranged marriage since his mother wants him to settle down and have kids, but weeks before the wedding, he decides to have one last fling. He asks his friends who he should seduce and they say a girl named Aminta, who won't sleep with any man until marriage. He accepts and begins to court her, but she starts to truly fall in love with him. She finally agrees to sleep with him the night before his wedding, but the next day, he marries his fiancé and tells his friends about his last sexual conquest. She is heartbroken when she finds out and that's where it ends. The plot troubled Christopher greatly because he could feel Erika's heartbreak within it. It was clear; she was Aminta and he was Don Juan. The last scene was exactly how she felt when she witnessed him and Rachel kissing on the balcony. This play was written about them, but with different circumstances.

* * *

One day, after rehearsals were over, Christopher went into his dressing room, but saw Madame Giry sitting by the vanity with her face in her hands. "Madame Giry?"

The older woman looked at him with surprise, but quickly wiped her face. "Sorry to intrude, but she's not there. I just checked."

"So, she's still in the theater?"

"Maybe. I'm just glad that she finally active, but I didn't expect her to do something like this. This is not like her at all."

"I agree and it's my fault. I made her like this all because I didn't tell her how I felt."

Madame Giry gave him a somber look, "Both of you didn't take my advice. None of this would have happened if you just confessed your feelings. I knew why she had hesitations, but why didn't you say anything?"

"Wait, you knew her feelings too and you didn't tell me?"

"I wanted her to say them to you herself, but what stopped you?"

"I . . . I'm not comfortable with . . . you know . . . what if she got the wrong idea about me and Rachel?"

"Well, it doesn't matter now since the two of you are engaged and look what has happened."

"I know and I'm sorry," Christopher said with tears in his eyes. Madame Giry put her arms around him to give him a comforting hug. "I never thought she could kill anyone and the way she told me made it seemed like it was cold-blooded murder."

"You mean Buquet? It was an accident. She told me herself."

"She didn't say that to me. She only told me she killed him and she would do it again . . . to get rid of her suffering."

"I doubt it. She's endured so much suffering in her life without killing-," she said, but she paused herself. If she continued, she knew she would be telling a lie, even though she knew Erika never wanted to murder.

"How much more suffering could she have possibly endured? I mean, she told me about her abusive mother and being sold into a circus, but there was more?"

She sighed, but said, "After she was sold to the circus, the ringleader used her deformity as an attraction and no one cared how she was treated. Even the audience said she didn't deserve anything good in life. She was abused every day, whether it was physical or neglect. They even called her hurtful names that scarred her to this day."

"Devil's child," he mumbled, but she still heard it.

"How do you know the name? You didn't go to that circus, did you?"

"No, I remember her calling herself that after I took off her mask. Who could ever call someone with that much suffering a Devil's child?"

"Greedy people would. They saddest thing was that they even turned her into a weapon that could kill on command. Despite her protests, they forced her to do it and if she failed, they would kill her. I bet she even purposely failed after a while just to die, but they wouldn't even keep their word. Instead, they would beat her and starve her until she eventually agreed to be their assassin again."

"That's awful! How did she ever escape such trauma?"

"About ten years ago, I took my girls to the circus since they did such a good job on their performance. They were in joy and the people there were oddities, ranging from unusual talents to grotesque appearances. However, when we visited the Devil's Child attraction, I was in horror to find such a cruel treatment of a human being. They treated her more like an animal than a person and she was covered in dirt and we could clearly see that she was in tears. What made my heart sink was that she looked like she gave up on life. Her handler could do whatever he wanted to her and she wouldn't put up a fight. She wore a sack over her head, but he would forcefully pull it off just to humiliate her. I was in horror, but the people around me were laughing, including my girls. We left the circus immediately after that, but I came back when it was closing time just to see if I could help her. I hid in the shadows as I saw the poor girl tap the bars of her cage with a stick just to hear some type of music. Sure enough, her handler came and started beating her with his whip for making too much noise. While he was counting the coins left around the cage, Erika must have snapped because she took his whip and used it as a noose to kill him. She escaped the cage and saw me in the shadows. She might have killed me too if I didn't tell her I could help her escape. I took her to the cellars of the Palais Garnier and the rest is history."

Christopher only looked with horror as he heard the story. He could have never imagined what it was like to live the way she did. No one should have endured such a tragedy, especially a kind-hearted girl who just needed some compassion. "After all that, she grew into a kind-hearted soul that was even willing to help someone like me."

"It wasn't easy though. She had a tough time adjusting to her new free life. She stayed in darkness and wouldn't talk to anyone, including me. Her mind was in such a dark place that I was surprised she finally got out. The first time she spoke to me will always be a milestone in our relationship and all she said was 'thank you'."

"Thank you, Madame Giry, for telling me this. Now I understand how she feels, but I must speak with her," Christopher said as he tried to go through the mirror, but she stopped him.

"I already told you she isn't there. Why would I lie to you?"

"If she's not there, then where can I talk to her?"

"What makes you think she is willing to listen to what you have to say? Unless you admit your feelings, I doubt she would want to speak to you."

"I know, but I think I have an idea. If she is watching everyone in the shadows, then she has to see my every move."

* * *

Christopher exited out of his carriage and into the cemetery. Before he opened the gate, he looked at his coachman and said, "I'll be back in a while, okay?" The coachman nodded. He was wearing leather pants and boots and a white shirt, but since it was so cold outside, he was covered by a hood. Christopher turned to open the gate that led into the cemetery. It was covered with yesterday's snowfall and it gave the place a beautiful look. He was tired of seeing the same dark scenery, but the snow brought light to this dark place. It was a little hard to walk, but he finally made it to his father's tomb. He checked to see if Erika was at her father's grave, but had no luck. He opened the gate to his tomb and entered. He put a hand on the coffin and said, "Father, what am I to do? On one hand, I'm engaged to Rachel, my childhood sweetheart, but on the other hand . . . I'm in love with Erika. I have been for a while now, but I was stupid for not telling her. Instead, I've hurt her a lot and now, I can't even speak to her. I need your help to find my Angel of Music so I can tell her how I feel. Please, father."

He didn't hear a violin playing like he did before or a voice indicating she was nearby. He felt depressed and went back outside, but he saw his coachman sneakily walking around the tomb, trying to avoid any attention. "Hey, monsieur, what are you doing?" The coachman didn't respond or even look at him. He kept walking through the maze of headstones with a faster pace. "Monsieur, it's me, Christopher Daaé! What are you doing here?" The coachman faced him, but his face was covered by a hood and he couldn't see it. Christopher then noticed that he was carrying something in his hands. It was a single red rose, but with a black ribbon around it, just like the one he saw Erika leave in his father's tomb. Once the coachman finally realized what he was looking at, he took off running. "Wait!" Christopher ran off into the maze of headstones to chase him. It was hard to chase him with the snow at his feet, but he finally was able to catch up to the man. He grabbed the cloak and pulled it toward him, causing the coachman to fall and accidentally hit his head on a headstone.

"Ow. That hurt," a soft feminine voice said. Christopher quickly ran to the injured person and pulled off the hood, but was surprised to see a woman's face, but not just any woman. It was Erika. She was clearly in pain and when she put her gloved hand on her head, she could feel an open wound. She looked at her hand and sure enough, there was blood.

"Don't worry, I'll get you some help," he said as he carried her in his arms. She was pretty light, probably because she wasn't wearing a heavy dress for once. She was barely conscious as he rushed her back to the carriage, but when he laid her down on the seat, he could see she was now unconscious. He quickly grabbed the reins since his supposed coachman was now in the carriage. He whipped them and the horses pulled them forward, but he had to make sure they didn't pull them too much to the point it would harm her.

He carefully drove to his home where he carried her to his guest room upstairs. The room was a bit dusty since no one really stayed overnight, not even Rachel. She believed that they shouldn't live together until they were married, but she visited him often. After all, they were fiancées, but things were getting more complicated every day. He carefully placed her on the bed and made sure she would be comfortable. He found an old cloth in the room and used it to compress the wound on her head while cleaning up the blood around her face. He even removed her mask to make sure there was none there. It still shocked him a little to see her face, but he was no longer afraid of it. After all, he loved her no matter how she looked and even with that deformity; she was still the most beautiful woman he ever saw. Once he finished cleaning the blood, he cleaned the mask and put it back on her face. He really didn't want to leave her, but he knew that he needed to get her help if he wanted her to be all right. He left her a quick kiss on her forehead and he headed out to Palais Garnier.

* * *

Erika slowly woke up to find Madame Giry and Meg surrounding the bed, watching her slow recovery. She tried to get up, but they stopped her. "Mon chéri, you need to rest. You have a slight concussion from hitting your head," Madame Giry said.

"I've rested long enough," she said weakly, but she looked around and saw she wasn't in her lair or any room in the Palais Garnier. "Where am I?"

"You're in Christopher's house," Meg said.

Her eyes widened. "What?! Why am I here? Does he know?"

"Of course he knows. He was the one that brought you here. We came as soon as we heard you were injured," Madame Giry said with motherly concern.

"Oh, well, where is he?"

"He's in his bedroom. He didn't want to scare you when you woke up."

"What were you doing with him anyway," Meg asked with curiosity. If there was any gossip to be told, she wanted to be the first one to hear it, even if it was minor like this.

"I wanted to make sure he was okay. He is the lead in my show-,"

"He's more than that and we all know it," Meg said with a smile. Erika looked at her slight confusion, but she soon realized that Madame Giry must have told her.

"Sure, but I still want to make sure he was safe. I dressed as a coachman so I could be close to him, but I figured I might as well see my father while I was there. While I quietly walked around the tomb, he saw me and since I didn't want to get caught, I ran, but he chased me. He pulled my cloak to stop me, but I accidentally fell and hit my head. I don't remember anything after that."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't hit your hard too hard. You could have been seriously injured," Madame Giry said as she took off the old cloth and started cleaning the wound with a wet rag. Erika saw all the blood on the cloth and was a bit frightened. It was only a slight wound, but her blood still soaked the cloth. "It's okay, Erika. You're not bleeding anymore. I'm sure you'll be fine in no time, but I still advise you to rest."

She sighed, but said, "All right, but tomorrow morning, I'll heading straight to the Palais Garnier."

"Should we get Christopher," Meg asked rhetorically. Erika tried to answer, but Meg left the room before she could talk. A few minutes past before he came into the room and they could all see he was worried sick about her. "I told you she was awake. She'll be fine."

"I'm glad. I thought I might have killed you," he said with a worried tone as he got closer to her bedside. Erika tried to move away, but the Girys advised her to stay.

Erika looked at him and gave him a small smile. "I'm fine; don't worry. I've survived far worse than this." He smiled and crouched toward her so he could be closer to her.

"I think we should leave the two of them alone, don't you agree," Madame Giry asked as she guided her daughter out of the room.

When they knew they were alone, or at least, not aware that they were outside the door, eavesdropping on their conversation, they looked into each other's eyes. "Well, this wasn't how I imagined I would spend my day," Erika said with a chuckle.

"I would have never imagined this in my life, but what were you doing stalking me," he asked teasingly.

"I wasn't stalking you; I was watching you. I don't want the lead of my show to leave the Palais Garnier all by himself."

"I'm not a child. I can handle myself, but why did you have to put on that disguise just to see your father?"

"How did you know I was visiting my father?"

"The rose was a giveaway. Speaking of which, I managed to pick it up," he said as he gave her the slightly crushed rose with the black ribbon tied on it to her. She took it from his warm hand and smelled it. She always loved the smell of roses. If only he was offering it to her like a man would for the woman he loved.

"Thank you," she said. He slightly blushed as she looked at him almost lovingly. He hoped that she didn't figure out that he offered to her like he would for Rachel.

"I'm sorry for hurting you . . . again," he said as he turned away from her, afraid to look into her eyes. She pushed herself up on the bed so she would be sitting up. Even though Christopher advised her to lie down, she wouldn't have it.

"I'm tired of resting and I'm pretty sure you're tired of crouching," she said as he patted the bed, signaling him to sit down. He did as she asked and sat on the bed next to her. "Did you have to remove my mask to clean up the blood?"

"Why do you ask?"

"It's slightly crooked and Madame Giry knows how to put it on properly," she said with a smile, but it quickly disappeared. "So that means you did see it. I bet you were so scared that you hastily put it back on."

"No. I took off your mask and cleaned the blood around it. I wasn't scared of your face at all. You're still a beautiful woman even with your deformity, my strange angel," he said trying to hold her hand, but she pulled it away from him.

"You try to flatter me, but it won't work. I know what I am, but I'm glad that it doesn't repulse you like it would with other people."

After clearing his throat, Christopher nervously said, "Erika, I need to tell you something." She looked at him with open ears, but now he was getting even more nervous. "I . . . Erika . . . this is difficult for me to say, but . . . the debut show is a trap." He scolded himself in his mind for not saying what he really wanted to say.

She smiled. "I know. Madame Giry already told me and I've heard the full plan from the managers. They are foolish enough to talk about it when they think I'm not around."

"So, are you going see the show even though you know it's a trap?"

"Of course, especially since I wrote it," she said before pausing herself and looking away from him. "And you'll be playing Don Juan. I have to hear you sing."

"Even after everything that's happened?"

She looked down at the ground at the sound of his question. After a while, she finally muttered, "Yes."

"I'm sorry for hurting you. I only wanted to stop you," he said as he put his arm around her. She tried to pull away, but eventually accepted the gesture. "I didn't mean to make you hit your head."

"It's not your fault; I made you chase me. I just thought I would be a lot faster."

"But why did you dress as a coachman?"

"I . . . I wanted to make sure you were okay. The last thing I would want is for you to get hurt, especially since the debut is only a few weeks away."

"Oh, then you forgive me?"

She looked at him and said, "I could never stay mad at you."

"Because you love me, right?" She looked away from him to hide her blushing cheeks, but he guided her face with his fingers back into his sight. "Right?"

After a while, she finally nodded. "There's nothing that you could do that would make me stop loving you, no matter how much it hurts."

"That's good because I . . . -," he tried to say, but his nervousness prevented him from saying anything.

"What," she asked, now curious what he was trying to say. He was obviously nervous about something. Sweat was pouring from his forehead and his hands were shaky. "You can tell me anything."

"Erika, I . . . I love you," he finally muttered. Her eyes lit up with shock. "I finally said it. I love you, Erika."

"You . . . but . . . for how long?"

"The first time I heard you sing. Your voice was so enchanting that I couldn't resist your spell," he said as he grabbed her hand. It was slightly cold, but his hand warmed hers up fast. He then stroked her cheek lovingly with his other hand as he saw her still surprised face.

"But . . . but you're engaged! You're in love with Rachel!"

"Only because you pushed me away. You hurt me deeply and Rachel was the person who comforted me." He could see tears forming in her eyes and then eventually, they slid down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, but if you were in love with me, why did you kiss Rachel?"

"She kissed me after I said I loved her, but she didn't let me finish. I was going to say that I loved her like a brother, not a lover."

"Christopher, you don't know how long I've waited for this, but . . . -," she said as she looked away from him. "But we can't be together."

"Why not? I can call off my engagement with Rachel and we-,"

"No! I don't want her to feel the same pain I endured. It wouldn't be fair for her."

"Then, what can we do?"

She sighed. "I don't know." After a moment of silence, she faced him and looked straight into his emerald eyes. They shined with wonder and adoration, but also with sadness. He finally confessed his feelings for her and even though the feelings were mutual, he was devastated to learn they couldn't be tougher.

"Can I at least give you a kiss to show I love you?" Her eyes widened, but she smiled and nodded. Finally, this was the moment both of them have been waiting for. They both puckered their lips and leaned in closer, awaiting the other's to touch, but suddenly, the door opened and in came Madame Giry. They quickly leaned back, as to hide the fact they were about to kiss. So close, but still so far.

"Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but Rachel is here to see Christopher."


	9. Past the Point of No Return

Madame Giry and Meg listened quietly to the conversation at the other side of the door. They both hoped that Christopher would finally admit his feelings for Erika, but they had to listen to the awkward conversation. "Confess already! How long is he going to wait," Meg asked impatiently.

"Hopefully not for long, but it will be difficult since he's engaged to Rachel," Madame Giry answered.

"But if he was in love with Erika, why did he propose to her?"

"He told me that she hurt him when she pushed him away after Buquet's death. I wouldn't blame her, but she could have talked to him after a while. Remember, she didn't tell him she loved him until after the masquerade ball."

"Oh," Meg said. She put her ear to the door and sighed. "They are talking about her mask. C'mon, Chris. Just say it!"

Suddenly, they heard a faint knock at the door from downstairs. They froze in place at the sound, but soon, Madame Giry walked down the stairs to the door. She turned the doorknob and was surprised to see who was at the door. "Rachel de Chagny! What are you doing here?"

"I'm surprised to see you here, Madame Giry. I came here to see if Christopher was here, but since you're here, he must be here," Rachel said as she walked into the house. "Where is he, anyway?"

"He's looking for something. Let me go get him for you while you wait here," Madame Giry said as she guided her to a sofa for her to sit in. With a worried face, she rushed to the guest room upstairs.

As she arrived to the door, she could see Meg was in glee. "He finally said it, mother!"

"Well, we now have a problem. Rachel is here," she explained.

"What? Now?"

"Yes and I have to tell him," she said as she gently pushed Meg out of the way of the door. She opened it and could see the two lovebirds pull back, obviously hiding the fact that they were about to kiss. She would have teased them about it, but now was not the time. "Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but Rachel is here to see Christopher."

They looked at her with surprise. "Are you serious," Christopher said and was saddened when she nodded her head. He turned to Erika and said, "I will be back, I promise." He then left her side and left the room with Madame Giry and Meg by his side.

He walked downstairs and saw a beautifully dressed Rachel patiently waiting for him. When she saw him, her eyes lit up with happiness. "Ah, there's my beloved fiancé!" She got up from the couch and walked up to him to give him a hug. She then took a closer look at his clothes and pouted. "Why are you wearing these old rags? You didn't forget about our dinner with Philippe, did you?"

"O-Of course not. I just got home after visiting my father's tomb," he stammered.

"Well, you better fix yourself up. This place we are going to is where the best of the best eat and we wouldn't want to disappoint anyone. Let's go upstairs to find you a proper outfit," she said as she grabbed his hand and headed upstairs. They all had worried faces since they feared that she might figure out their little secret and unfortunately, Rachel could tell. "You didn't tell me why you were here, Madame Giry."

"Oh, well, I wanted to talk to him about your wedding. What plans have you two figured out already," she answered, trying to change the subject.

"Well, our wedding colors will be black and white, my dress will be made by the finest seamstress in Switzerland, and his suit will be tailored by a tailor that my brother recommended. We are going to discuss more details with my brother tonight." They finally arrived to his bedroom, but when she looked at his closet, she was disappointed by the choices. "Nope. Nope. That won't do. How old is this thing? Oh no! I just bought you new suits some time ago. Where are they?"

"They are in the guest room-," he said before he caught himself. The Girys looked in fear as he made probably the worst mistake he could have made. He even covered his mouth, furthering the point that he made a grave mistake. Now Rachel's curiosity peaked.

"Well let's go find them," she said as she dragged him to the guest room. Despite their protests, she managed to find it, but as the door opened, they didn't hear her say anything that signaled she saw her. Instead, she said, "Ah, here they are!" They all looked at each other with confused faces, but when they entered the room; they noticed that Erika was no longer there. In fact, nothing other than a recently used bed signaled that she was even there. The only clue they had to her disappearance was Rachel shutting a window, saying, "You need to keep your windows closed, Christopher. It's freezing in here." After a while, they finally calmed down, but Madame Giry was worried about Erika, especially since she suffered an injury that could have affected her more than she showed.

"If you will excuse us, my daughter and I will be heading home. Thank you, Christopher, for talking with us."

"You're welcome and thanks for visiting," he responded. With an awkward air, they left the house and headed straight for the Palais Garnier.

"So, why were the three of you so secretive," Rachel teased.

Christopher looked at her with confused eyes, trying to hide his now relieved fear. "What do you mean?"

"Are you trying to hide something like maybe a special gift for a special woman?"

"Well, I can't say anything even if it was. Now, weren't we getting ready for dinner with your brother?"

* * *

The fateful day finally arrived: the debut showing of _Don Juan Triumphant_. Everyone was so terrified since they feared if that anyone messed up during the show, they would all be killed. However, the managers and Rachel felt very confident as they placed guards at every door, hoping that they would somehow trap the Phantom, despite they all knew how crafty she was. "Mademoiselle de Chagny, we have guards at every door, just as you ordered," the captain said.

"Thank you, monsieur. Now, there was is no way she can escape from us." She could see men in uniforms almost everywhere, even on stage, in the orchestra area, and the catwalk above the stage. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be sitting in Box 5 and if you see anyone trying to make me leave or even kill me, you shoot them. You hear me, captain?"

"Understood."

"Are you so sure that a few guards can stop me," a villainous voice said, but the voice seemed to never stay in one place, confusing the guards. "I mean, how can you kill something that's all ready dead?" She then appeared within Box 5 and one guard tried to shoot her, but missed.

"Idiot! You are not supposed to shoot until you have a clear shot of her," the captain yelled.

"I'm sorry, but I thought I did. I was certain I would have shot her, but she somehow dodged the bullet," he said with fear in his voice.

After a while of security checking, Rachel went to find Christopher, who was down in the chapel area of the Palais Garnier. He lit a candle for his father and prayed deeply. He was wearing his costume, which was mostly black clothing with red trim, leather boots, and belt. She watched him quietly as he could hear him say, "Please, father, I'm terrified. I can't perform out there knowing that I am a key player in this plan. Please, father, get me out of this mess."

"Christopher," she cooed. He sharply tuned around, but was relieved to see Rachel out of all people see him at his most vulnerable state. "I know this isn't easy for you, but you have to understand that we are doing the right thing by getting rid of that lunatic. She has harmed many good people and will continue to hurt them if we don't stop her. You have to do this. Please!"

"It's twisted every way; what answer can I give? Am I to risk my life to win the chance for everyone to live? Can I betray the woman who inspired my voice? Do I become her prey? Do I have any choice? She devised this evil plot, but inside, I know she's good. I know I can't refuse and yet I wish I could. Oh god, if I agree, what horrors wait for in this: the Phantom's opera?"

"Christopher, don't think that I don't care, but every hope and every prayer rests on you now," she said as she hugged him. He could feel tears running down his cheeks at the thought of betraying the woman he loved took a massive toll on him. After a while, she said, "I'll give you some more time to release your nerves. The show starts in only a half an hour." She left him and exited the chapel to check on things upstairs. He was now even more nervous about the show. She doesn't get that he doesn't want anything bad to happen to Erika. He tried to see her many times before today to try to convince her not to come, but the boat was still not there, even after everything that happened in his guest room.

After a moment of silence, a voice said, "Don't worry; I'll be fine."

He looked around him for the source of the voice, but he couldn't find it. "Please reconsider. They have guards everywhere and I'm afraid you'll get captured or worse."

"And miss the show? I don't think that's an option. I have an idea."

"Can you at least tell me what it is so I won't be too worried, my love?"

"I'm sorry, but it involves you not knowing anything. You will understand in time."

* * *

As audience members filled the seats to watch this unconventional show, Rachel sat at Box 5 with the captain sitting next to her with a loaded gun in his hand. The managers sat at the box at the opposite side of the stage, just to make sure they wouldn't be harmed in case she was right of the Phantom trying to kill her. Madame Giry was noticeably nervous as she told her girls to get ready for the opening number which involved the entire cast. Christopher was exceptionally nervous as he knew once the curtain parted; there was no going back from there. Sure enough, the music started playing and everyone got into position. The first song was about the rumors of Don Juan, including the many women he had seduced. Women love him and men were jealous of him. However, some parts were spoken, which confused the audience. They never went to an opera where they didn't sing for the entire opera. In fact, there was probably more dialogue than song. The performers could hear the muttering disapproval amongst the audience members, but they continued.

Eventually, his mother, played by a woman from the chorus, tells him that he needs to settle down and she has found the perfect woman for him, Lillian, who was played by Carlotta. In a way, it was a fitting role. Lillian was a woman who was nice to people around her, except for Don Juan, who she viewed as worthless scum. Even though he tells his mother about her behavior, she doesn't believe him because she thinks he's trying to convince her to stop the wedding. The next scene, he tells his friends at a bar about the news and they convince him to have one last fling before he ties the knot. "Who, out of all these fair maidens, do you want me to seduce," Christopher sang.

"Well, there is this one girl, but there is no way you'll get her in bed with you," a chorus lad sang.

"Who?"

The men point at a girl who was serving drinks to guests at the bar. "Her name's Aminta and she is a very conservative girl. You'll never get her in bed with you unless you marry her, which we all know you can't do." The boys laughed at their impossible challenge. Christopher looked at the girl. Her real name was Samara Ether and she was a new singer hired to play the part, but she was very talented, even by Erika's standards. She even almost looked like Erika, but she was wearing a black wig since she had natural blonde hair. Originally, Carlotta was suppose to play the part, but after too many "accidents" occurred, they decided to cast Samara instead and Carlotta would play Lillian, which worked out for everyone's benefit. She fit the role almost perfectly, but he knew who the role was written for.

As the performance progressed, Don Juan works very hard to court Aminta so she would sleep with him, but like his friends said, she wouldn't. However, she does progressively fall in love with him, which aids his pursuit. She even sings a solo song about her love for him:

 _He could have any woman he wants_  
 _But out of all of them, he chose me_  
 _Am I just a pawn in his seduction game_  
 _Or is this all just one huge fantasy_  
 _Either way, he has won my heart_  
 _And nothing in this world can keep us apart_

Christopher watched from the side of the stage and watched her sing. True, she had a lovely voice, but it was nothing compared to Erika's. If only she sang this song, it would have been such a beautiful performance. If only she was there singing those words to him, but he thought it best she stayed away from this production as much as possible. Speaking of Erika, he wondered where she was and what she was planning. She didn't seemed frightened at all when they last spoke, but he had to wonder if she was truly terrified that this could be the last show she will ever see.

At last, the seduction scene came into place and Don Juan sings about his preparations for their romantic encounter the night before his wedding. The props on the table suggested a special meal for the two of them, including a centerpiece of apples at the middle of the table. There was a small room facing the audience and inside was a tiny bed with pillows and blankets on top, but it looked bigger because of the magical techniques made by the set designers. It had a curtain door, which would end the scene once they were closed. Now, he was more nervous than ever; where was Erika? There was no sign that she was anywhere. Even the police looked impatient as they awaited her presence.

Finally, he heard the musician play the xylophone's lowest note, which was suppose to be her knocking. He goes to "open the door" and saw a hooded figure enter the stage, just as it was scripted. Aminta was suppose to be unseen by people since she didn't want anyone to know that she was going to see Don Juan at such a late hour. He guided her to a bench near the table and sat her down as he began to sing to her:

 _You have come here in pursuit of your deepest urge_  
 _In pursuit of that wish which till now has been silent . . . silent_  
 _I have brought you that our passions may fuse and merge_  
 _In your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses_  
 _Completely succumbed to me_  
 _Now you are here with me, no second thoughts_  
 _You've decided . . . decided_

As he continued to sing, he put his hands all over Samara, theoretically making her want him even more, but he felt reluctant. Even during rehearsals, he didn't feel comfortable touching a woman, especially now when two women he loved were watching him. Rachel was getting jealous even though she knew he was only acting. Erika . . . well, let's just say, she was watching him very closely. Even with the cloak on, he could feel every curve of Samara's body and she had to act that she was enjoying every touch he gave her, which is not an easy task since she worse the cloak, but she pulled it off. Although, something did throw him off a bit when he touched her face; he was expecting to touch soft skin, but he felt something smooth and hard instead, which made him retract his hand from her sharply. Once it was her turn to sing, an angelic voice sang:

 _You have brought me to that moment where words run dry_  
 _To that moment when speech disappears into silence . . . silence_  
 _I have come here, hardly knowing the reason why_  
 _In my mind, I've already imagined our bodies entwining, defenseless and silent_  
 _Now I am here with you, no second thoughts_  
 _I've decided . . . decided_

"That voice," he whispered to himself. She then put her hands on the hood and removed it from her head, but he and the audience were shocked to see it wasn't Samara underneath that hood. It was Erika; there was no doubt about it. She was wearing a black and red mask held by a black satin ribbon and those blue eyes were too hard to resist. He blushed at the thought that this whole time; he was touching her instead of Samara. This was her plan all along: steal the role of Aminta for this scene and maybe the next just so she can be closer to him? Why would she do that? What happened to Samara? All these questions popped into everyone's heads, but the only one question popped into his mind: why did she take so long?

"Past the point of no return. No going back now. Our passion play has now at last begun," she sang as she took the cloak off her and placed it on the table, revealing a slim red dress that showed off her beautiful feminine curves. He swallowed hard as he tried to hold his composure in front of the audience, but mainly her. However, she now played the seducer as she slowly forced him to sit down and gave him a prop apple to "eat", but she teased him as she took it away before he could take a bite. "Past all thought of right or wrong. One final question: how long should we two wait before we're one?" She leaned closer to him so that he chest was touching his back, like if he were to give him a hug, but she put one knee on the bench he was sitting on, which made him extremely nervous. She could see that his hands were shaking immensely and she grabbed them with a might. She could feel how sweaty they were, but she placed one of their entwined hands on her bare cheek and continued to sing, "When will, the blood begin to race? The sleeping bud burst into bloom. When will the flames at last consume us?" He then shook her off and stood up, but he still walked closer to her and seductively grabbed her from behind, making sure that their hands were still entwined and they continued to sing:

 _Past the point of no return_  
 _One final threshold_  
 _The bridge is crossed so stand and watch it burn_  
 _We've past the point of no return_

He then led her to his room and closed the curtain, which ended the scene. As prop and stage managers hurriedly set up for the wedding scene, he tried to speak with her, but she took off before he could tell her anything. He got into his costume quickly and everything was set for the most heartbreaking scene he has ever had to play. The scene was set so that stage left was the altar and stage right was the "door" that led inside the church, including a sign inviting guests to attend the wedding. As the scene progressed, the audience can see that Aminta is trying to find Don Juan, but she sees the sign instead. She can't believe her eyes and enters the church, right as he is suppose to sing his song before he kissed Lillian. He saw Erika looking straight at him with those tearful eyes she must have had when she saw him and Rachel kissed and couldn't help but break character. In this scene, he is suppose to be smug, telling his friends that his last fling as a bachelor was a success, which further broke her heart, but instead, he kept looking at Erika with a sad look on his face.

Suddenly, he ran from the altar, which alarmed all the performers and some musicians. The music didn't stop, but some musicians were clearly confused by the sudden move. Erika was confused as he came closer, but he "exited" the building and sang:

 _Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime_  
 _Lead me, save me from my solitude_  
 _Say you want me with you here, beside you_  
 _Anywhere you go let me go too_  
 _Erika, that's all I ask of you_

She was truly speechless. She didn't know what to do. What could she do? The only thing holding her up and preventing her from fainting was him holding her in his arms. She could feel tears of joy running down her cheek as she could hear the music make an epic melody since this was the part where he was supposed to kiss his supposed bride. He put his hand on the side of her face with her mask on, but she didn't care at all since this was the happiest movement of her life. He leaned in to give her a kiss at last, but he put too much pressure on the mask as it quickly slid off. Eventually, it slid off her face and onto the floor, revealing her deformity to the entire audience. Everyone, from audience members to performers screamed as they witnessed a terrible disfigurement that no one imagined would belong to a beautiful woman.

When she heard the screams, Erika finally realized what was going on and pushed him away. Those tears of joy suddenly turned to tears of absolute horror, but instead of trying to hide her face with the fallen mask, she did the unthinkable. She grabbed the knife out of her dress pocket and cut a rope that was supporting the chandelier. She loosened the machinery upstairs so that now that the rope was cut, it would be easier for the chandelier to fall. Once the chandelier started to fall, audience members ran and the police ran for their lives for they knew that if they stayed, they would surely be killed. Cast members and orchestra members ran as they saw that the chandelier was heading for the stage. With everyone distracted, Erika stomped on a trap door and she fell down with Christopher in her arms. Rachel looked in horror as she saw that two disastrous things have happened: a fallen chandelier which was now causing a huge fire within the Palais Garnier and a bloodthirsty madwoman has kidnapped her fiancée.


	10. Why

"Erika, please slow down! You're hurting my arm," Christopher yelled as he was being pulled into the boat by Erika. He could see that she was utterly humiliated by what happened upstairs. Her mask fell off at the absolute worst moment. They were finally about to kiss after the most romantic gesture he could have done, but fate wouldn't allow such a perfect moment to last. Now, she was driven insane by such a quick turn of events and even started muttering to herself things that didn't make sense to him.

"Down once more to the dungeons of my black despair! Down we plunge to the prison of my mind! Down that path into darkness deep as hell," she said as she rowed the boat toward her lair. He tried many times to snap her back into reality, but nothing seemed to help. He even tried to get up and physically shake her, but the boat rocked unsteadily and he was forced to sit back down.

"What is the matter with you? You're scaring me." As soon as he said that, she let out a bloodcurdling laugh that sent shivers down his spine. He was truly terrified of what had become.

Once she was finished, she said, "I'm no angel. I'm a demon and people like me will do whatever they can to get what they want and what I want is somebody who will love me, whether they want to or not. Rachel doesn't deserve you! I do and I will make you learn to love my hideous face!"

"What are you talking about? I already do! Please, Erika, stop this madness!" As they finally arrived to her home, she parked her boat and hastily dragged him out.

"I've spent so many years not being loved! I've heard no kind words from anyone or felt compassion anywhere," she said as tears began to pour down her cheeks.

"That's not true. I love you and I'm sure your father showed compassion towards you," he said, trying his absolute best to stay calm.

At the sound of his words, she finally seemed to calm down. "Father," she said before she went to her room. He followed her as she saw her dig through a box of random things. After a while of searching, she finally found the things she was looking for: two rings. "This was my father's wedding ring. I managed to take it off before he was buried with it. This one was my grandmother's wedding ring. My grandfather gave it to me since even he didn't trust my mother with something so valuable. These mean the world to men and I would know my father would be very happy if the two of us got married."

His eyes widened with surprise, "Wait, what?"

"It was my father's dream for me to find someone who will love me, even with my deformity. He said I deserved a lot more than I endured during my childhood and even wrote it down on his suicide note. You are his dream, Christopher, and I want to marry you," she said with a warm smile, but her proposal was out of nowhere that he didn't know what to say at first.

"B-B-But you told me that we couldn't be together. You didn't want Rachel to feel your pain," he said in a frightened tone.

"I've changed my mind . . . I just hope you didn't," she said with a disappointed tone.

"I . . . I just don't know how to feel. This is all too fast."

With those words, she looked at the ground, trying desperately to hold back her tears. Why can't things just go smoothly for them? First, they held back their feelings for each other to the point that he fell in love with someone else. Second, they could have kissed for the first time up on that stage, but her mask had to prevent it. Third, they could finally be together, but her rash actions have frightened him greatly. "I'll give you some time to think, but people might come after me to 'get rid of me'," she said in a soft voice. "I'll change into my wedding dress and we can talk this out."

"Wait, you have a wedding dress ready?"

"Yes. I even made it myself. When you've spent years in isolation, you tend to find something to past the time," she said as she went into her room and closed the curtains. So many things were racing in his head. Why can't anything go right? If he had confessed his feelings early on, they could have been together, but his nerves always got the best of him. She had suffered enough already, but he put her through even more pain. Now, they have a chance to be married, but their surrounding circumstances were preventing this union to be a happy one.

"Christopher," a soft feminine voice said, but it didn't come from Erika's bedroom. He looked around and saw Rachel at the gate. She was gesturing him to come closer and he quietly walked through the water to her. Through her bars, she gave him a hug and he could feel her wet clothing. She had to swim all the way here since there was no boat waiting for her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, but you shouldn't be here-," Christopher said quietly, hoping she didn't hear them.

"No, I'm here to save you. I told you that she was a lunatic. Now, she's kidnapped you for her own purposes. We need to get out of here before she does something to hurt you!"

Without warning, the gate lifted, allowing her to enter and securely hug him, but as soon as she came in, the gate descended, trapping her within the lair. They both looked around and saw Erika had used her lever to open the gate and trap her within. She was wearing a very elegant wedding dress that was only slightly puffy. She was even holding a rose with a black ribbon around it as if it were her bouquet. Her makeup on her good side of her face was wearing off with the tears while the hideous side was left with nothing but tears. "I guess we'll have a witness after all."

"What do you think you're doing? Do you truly think that he will ever marry you," Rachel yelled as she advanced toward her, but Christopher held her back.

"Mademoiselle, you really thought I would harm the man I love? You said it yourself: I was obsessed with him; with a mind twisted as mine, I love him, but too much."

"It's not physical harm I was worried about. Trapping him in your fantasy will hurt him much more than any torture you could have planned. Being forced to live with someone who is not only distorted physically, but also in the soul, won't make him love you!"

"Please stop saying such hurtful things, Rachel. You don't know her like I do," Christopher said.

Erika chuckled. "Disfigured in the soul, you say? I've done some terrible things in the past, Rachel. I've killed so many people to the point I don't remember how many and I would happily add you to that list."

"Just like you killed Samara?"

"Just because a girl disappeared, you think I killed her? No, she's fine; she just had to take an unexpected nap in her dressing room."

"Let us go! I love him with all my heart and soul. Does that mean nothing to you? Show some compassion," she yelled as she held him tighter.

She laughed. "The world showed no compassion to me, so why should I show any to you?" Erika walked closer to her and Rachel tried to defend him in case she tried to pull him away, but instead, she pushed him away and put a noose around Rachel's neck. "Did you want me to be the monster that everyone thinks I am? Well, here I am!"

"Erika, stop this," Christopher yelled as she tried to save Rachel, who was clearly scared for her life. She wasn't putting pressure on the noose, but she could at any moment. He looked into her eyes and he could see clearly all the years of pain, anger, and madness.

"Maybe I will, but you have to choose. Either you marry me now or she will die. It's your choice. Now we are past the post of no return!" He stood there frozen. He didn't know what to say. She just gave him an ultimatum that he couldn't escape from.

"Christopher, you don't have to do this. Don't throw away your life for my sake," Rachel said, but Erika put a little pressure on the noose to shut her up.

"It's his choice, not yours. You've made the decision to come here and you must have known I might have done something like this to you. So, Christopher, do you choose to be with me or do you send her to her gave?"

"Why make him lie to you to save me," Rachel said before she made her shut up.

"Erika, how could you do such a thing? You already knew my answer from the start, but now you've made it a life-or-death decision?"

"You try my patience. Tell me your answer!"

He advanced to her and she moved back, but he said, "Come closer." She knew that if he chose Rachel, he would have said it already. She let go of her and Rachel gasped for air, but she wanted to see what he would do. "You're no longer alone." With those words, he finally was able to kiss the woman he loved. Their lips finally touched and even though she was surprised, she closed her eyes and embraced the kiss. The moment they yearned for had finally arrived. This was better than any answer he could have told her. Rachel was appalled to see him kiss the monster who just threatened her life, but once their lips parted, she could see that his decision had made an impact. She was crying once again and her madness had finally gone away.

"What am I doing," she asked herself as she pushed herself away from him. "This isn't how I wanted things to happen. In fact, what was I thinking for forcing you to marry me when we still can't be together?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't force you to live a life of darkness and secrecy. You belong up there in the light and everyone cheering your name when they hear you sing."

"What are you saying," Christopher said, still confused by what she was saying, but afraid that her answer was going to break his heart.

"I'm saying that Rachel is the woman you deserve to be with. She can give you the life you deserve," she said. "You wouldn't be happy with me."

"But-,"

"Just do as I say," she said with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but you have to leave now. You can take the boat and make sure no one sees you. Just forget me and all of this. Leave me alone," she said as she retreated to her room and closed the curtains.

"Erika, wait," Christopher yelled as he tried to run after her, but Rachel held him back.

"You heard what she said. I want to leave now before she changes her mind again," she said as she tried to direct him to the boat.

"No, I need to see her," he said as he finally escaped her grasp and ran to the curtain, but when he opened it, he was shocked to find that she was nowhere in sight. How did she disappear? Why did she want him to leave her? Why?

"She's not there, Christopher. We have to go now. I heard the police are going to investigate the catacombs for any signs of the Phantom and I don't want to be here when they do." In defeat, Christopher left the room and walked to the lever to open the gate. After it opened, he ran to Rachel, who was already in the boat, grabbed the paddle, and rowed out of the lair. Once they were at a far distance, they heard the gates close behind them and saw that Erika pulled the lever to close the gate. He thought about rowing back to her, but what was the point? She already closed the gate and her mind was made up. Even if he begged her to let him in, she wouldn't do it, no matter how much it broke her heart.

* * *

They finally arrived to Christopher's home under the cover of night and entered without anyone seeing them. Rachel quickly went to a closet to find some towels to dry herself off, but he went to his room to change his clothes. When they were dry enough, they sat on his couch, but it was clear that what just happened was disturbing both of them. "I can't believe she would let us go. How did you know that a kiss would do that," Rachel asked.

"I didn't," he said softly, still heartbroken by her sudden decision to let them go.

"Well, now I know that you truly love me because you would even kiss a monster in order to save my life," she said as she hugged him, but he shook her off.

"How many times do I have to tell you that she's not a monster? She's a poor soul who just needed love," he said as he looked away from her.

After a moment of silence, Rachel said, "You know I don't believe in moving in with my fiancé until after marriage, but I think I should, especially after what happened."

"No, I wouldn't want you to be put in danger again. What if she changes her mind again? If you lived with me, I'm sure she would go after you too."

"I suppose you're right. Should I have the police guard your home in case of such event?"

"That won't be necessary. She said it herself: she wouldn't harm me. It's your safety I'm most concern about. Just go home and I'll see you tomorrow morning," he said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I promise everything will be all right."

"I hope you're right, but if you don't show up tomorrow, I will have the police search for you."

"All right," he said as he hugged her. With those words, she got up from the couch and headed for the door. After saying goodnight, she left him, but not without checking if he was still all right.

Once he closed the door, he slumped back on the couch. The scene down in her lair played back in his mind again: her madness, her proposal, Rachel's "rescue", the ultimatum, the kiss, and finally, her decision to let him go. Why would she do that? She finally got the answer she wanted, but she still allowed him to leave her. In fact, she demanded that he would leave her alone. They could have been together, but did she not want that? Why? That questioned stayed in his mind. He needed an answer now.

* * *

Erika was in her bedroom, playing some music from her opera with her violin. The sound sounded melancholy since she wasn't playing it like the way it was written, but instead the way she felt in her heart. Eventually, she played the seduction song and could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She thought about how many times she probably cried in front of Christopher and how each time she did, he never scolded her for it like her mother did. "Those were signs of weakness, you little monster." Those words in her head caused her to stop playing and took deep breaths to stop herself from crying. She thought about what happened just some time ago and how unlike her she acted. She was even willing to kill Rachel right in front of Christopher, which for sure would have prevented him from ever loving her again. She was running on repressed emotions of anger and revenge for how the world treated her, but it cost her the chance to be happy with him. How could he possibly feel sympathy for what she did? She acted like a true monster. She thought about maybe ridding the world of this monster by maybe a noose around the neck or a long sleep in the lake, but she pushed back those feelings and picked up her violin and continued to play.

Eventually, she played the wedding scene, but thought about what he did for her. She was so happy when he ran up to her and sang to her, completely changing the ending. In the end, it seemed Don Juan had fallen in love with Aminta too and couldn't bear to be without her. She started playing a few measures before Don Juan's solo, but was terrified when she heard:

 _Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime  
Lead me, save me from my solitude  
Say you want me with you here, beside you  
Anywhere you go let me go too  
Erika, that's all I ask of you_

She put down her violin and turned around, but was surprised to see Christopher in a boat at the gate, hoping she would open it. "Please, let me in." He was surprised to see that she was still wearing her wedding dress, but now she had her white mask on, as if to hide the shame she caused herself.

"I told you to leave me alone! What part of that don't you get?"

"I chose you and even gave you a kiss to prove it, but you tell me to leave. Why?"

"I told you that Rachel was the woman you deserved. She would give you things I couldn't. Please leave now!"

"Not before I show you how much I truly love you," he said. With a sigh, she finally gave in and pushed the lever to open the gate. He rowed the boat inside and hurriedly parked it. When he finally reached her, he gave her another passionate kiss that she couldn't help but accept. He wrapped his arms around her and she did the same. She was happy to live such a happy moment again, but she knew that he wouldn't come for just a kiss.

After a good minute of kissing, he then kissed her cheek and finally, her neck, which caused her to pull back in fear. With blushed cheeks, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"I just want to show you how much I love you," he said as he tried to continue, but she pushed him away. She knew now what he wanted. She read many books in her spare time and she knew all about seduction. Heck, she wrote a scene about it in her own opera.

"This is highly inappropriate! You're engaged and we're not married," she said frantically.

"Can't we just pretend?"

"No!"

After a moment of silence, he finally said, "Do you still have the rings?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out the two rings she showed him earlier. He grabbed them from her hand and said, "Then I guess we can't pretend." She looked at him confused, but he grabbed her hands and said, "Will you, Erika Destler, take me, Christopher Daaé, to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"It's not the same," she said sadly.

"How were you going to do it if I agreed to marry you?" She opened her mouth as if she were to say something, but shut it when she didn't know what to say. "Now, can you please answer me?"

After a sigh, she looked into his eyes and said, "Of course I do." As soon as she finished her vow, he placed her grandmother's wedding ring on her wedding finger and looked at her with hope.

"Now you say it to me," he said with a smile.

"Now will you, Christopher Daaé, take me, Erika Destler, to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," he said as he gave her father's ring. She reluctantly placed it on his wedding finger, but once she did, she gave him a huge smile.

"I guess I now pronounce us man and wife. You may kiss your bride," she said. They kissed once again and although she knew they weren't officially married, she felt that they were under her father's eyes. She finally found someone to love her forever and ever, even with her deformity. She never thought she would be happier. Once their lips parted, he removed her mask, which surprised her.

"I love you. All of you," he said as he kissed her deformed cheek, which moved her. He picked up his bride, but had some difficulty with her wedding dress. Regardless, he took her into her bedroom and closed the curtain. Even though they knew they were alone, they wouldn't want anyone to see them make love if someone happened to show up.

* * *

Christopher woke up on her bed and stretched his arms, but was surprised to see that Erika wasn't sleeping next to him. He looked around and saw the curtain was slightly open, as if she left the room. He put on his clothes, but was surprised to see that her wedding dress was still on the floor. He headed out the room where he saw Erika on the sofa and was about to surprise her with a hug, but he could her crying. He crouched down to see her face and she had a robe on and her black mask on. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him and said, "Nothing's wrong. These are tears of joy. I never thought in my entire life that someone would love me like you do. Thank you," she said. He tried to hug her, but she pulled back. "However, you still wouldn't be happy with me."

"What do you mean? I love you. I wouldn't be happy without you," he said as he put a hand on her bare cheek.

"If you were with me, you wouldn't be able to be the star I wanted you to be. Rachel can give you everything you could have ever wanted. All I can give you is darkness and hardships. I'm a wanted criminal and if you were with me, you would be an accomplice. The last thing I would want is for you to live in a world where no one knew your name. Please, understand."

"I . . . I see your point, but I still won't be happy without you. We're married, aren't we?"

"Between the two of us, yes, but we are not legally. You'll still be able to marry Rachel."

"But-,"

"Please, Christopher, I'm thinking what's best for you. If I change my mind, I'll let you know, but for now, I want you to be with Rachel."

"Are you sure," he asked with disappointment in his voice. He is finally able to be with the woman he loves, but she still wants him to be with Rachel. With tears in his eyes, he looked away from her.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but it has to be done. Please understand," she said as she kissed his cheek. He looked at her and she looked at him with sad eyes. After a while, he hugged her suddenly and she embraced him too. With tears rolling down their cheeks, they released and they headed for the boat. He gave her one final kiss before entering the boat and rowing away. He looked back at her one last time before he rowed away out of her sight.

When she could no longer see him, she looked at her wedding ring and smiled. "It's clear now. You love me and that's all I ever wanted."


	11. I Love You

A month has passed since the infamous debut showing of _Don Juan Triumphant_. The Palais Garnier suffered heavy damage from the chandelier fire and the performers who lost their jobs due to the fire either chose to find employment elsewhere or wait until the Palais Garnier was rebuilt and continue working, which included Christopher, Madame Giry, and Meg, but that idea was short-lived since only a select few chose to stay. The managers left quickly and most of the performers were working in a recently built opera house called the Opera Populaire. Due to the abandoned mission of rebuilding the Palais Garnier, the Girys had to seek employment there. Christopher, on the other hand, thought it was best to seek employment outside of Paris, or at least, until everything was behind him. He didn't want his memories of the Phantom of the Opera to interfere with his work. Speaking of the Phantom, no one has seen or heard from her ever since the debut show. As Rachel said, the police did try to track down the Phantom the morning after the show, but they had no luck. All they could find was her lair deep in the catacombs.

Some day after the fiasco, Christopher snuck into the heavily damaged theater to go into his dressing room and enter her lair. Despite the building being charred beyond recognition, he still managed to find his dressing room and pass through the slightly melted mirror. He walked down the hallway and was surprised to see a boat waiting for him. He thought she might have brought the boat back after he left so no one would see it, but it was still here. He rowed the boat all the way to her lair, but when he arrived, he was disappointed to see that she wasn't there. He noticed that some stuff was missing, including her violin and her masks, and the place seemed to be abandoned for quite some time. Dust and cobwebs were starting to form, which was unusual since she kept the place very clean. He looked inside her bedroom and even her little calendar beside her bed was gone. Did she move out? Where could she have gone? Why wouldn't she tell him?

* * *

The week before the wedding, Rachel invited the wedding party to a lunch to celebrate. The best man was obviously Philippe, but the maid of honor was a surprise choice: Meg Giry. True, she was Christopher's closest female friend, but it was usually the bride's choice. However, Rachel didn't choose that many bridesmaids; only three cousins, but even then, she wasn't really close with them. Meg was the default choice and was a very active member in the wedding, but at the same time, she felt reluctant about the entire process and Christopher knew exactly why.

"Cheers to the future bride and groom that they may have a happy and prosperous marriage," Philippe said as he held his glass up high and the rest followed. "And I'm happy to announce that my wife and child will be coming to the wedding as well."

"Wait, you have a wife and child? Since when," Rachel asked with excitement.

"About a year ago, but we had to get married in secret since her parents didn't approve. I couldn't invite you because it would have been too suspicious, but she just gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and I'm happy you will finally meet them," Philippe said as he gave Christopher a wink. He smiled back, knowing that the adoption went as planned and she doesn't suspect a thing.

"I can't wait! Oh, can't the wedding day come faster?"

"We still need to make a few more preparations before then. I rather we take our time so the day can be even more special," Christopher said with a fake smile.

"I suppose you're right. Are you going to sing for us at the reception?"

He nearly choked on the water he was drinking when he heard her ask that. After a cough or two, he said, "Why do you ask that?"

"Well, everyone knows you have a lovely voice and some of us, mainly me, want to hear you sing," Rachel said with a smile. The party of nine agreed as they nodded at her statement. He looked at Meg, who was uneasy with her statement and she could clearly see he was too. "What do you say, for old time's sake?"

"Well, I-I don't know. I haven't sung for a long time. I might be a little rusty," he said trying to escape the situation.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine," Philippe said as he patted his future brother on the back.

"What shall I sing?"

"Maybe my mother and I can help. She has some sheet music of some operas. Maybe we can find a song for you to sing some time later today," Meg lied. With her eyes, she signaled him that she meant something else and luckily, he picked up on it.

"Oh, that's great! You can go while my bridesmaids and I find something blue for me to wear on our wedding day," Rachel said with a hopeful smile. It was very clear that she was very excited for the wedding, but Christopher wasn't. Even with the wedding date approaching closer and closer, he could only think about one thing: Erika. He even had to put his ring on the other hand so Rachel wouldn't ask questions. In fact, she never seemed to notice it. She focused on so many things, like her wedding dress and decorations, which relieved him a bit. He too helped out with preparations, but not to her extent, especially since Philippe helped her out majority of the time.

After lunch, Christopher and Meg walked to the Giry house, but she asked him a few questions along the way. "How do you feel about singing at your wedding?"

"Oh, well, I feel a bit uncomfortable about it."

"Why? I mean, you do sing very lovely. Even though a month has past, I'm sure you won't sound horrible."

"It's not just that, but . . . ," he said before pausing. He didn't want to finish the rest of his sentence in case she would tell Rachel about what he was going to say.

"You can only sing with passion for Erika, right," she said, as if she could read his mind. He looked at her with surprise and she smiled. "I knew it."

"How would you know?"

"Well, I might have overheard you saying you love her when we were at your house," she said with a teasing smile. He gave her a disapproval look for eavesdropping, but she didn't care. "It's clear who you love more. I bet you can't even focus on the wedding as much as you should."

"I'll admit that my mind has been preoccupied since that night, but she has disappeared without a trace. I just want to know if she's all right."

With a sigh, she said, "That's why I brought you here. Mother doesn't have any manuscripts from any opera. I just want you to talk to her."

"Wait, has she seen her? Can she lead me to her," he asked with hope in his voice, but she didn't answer.

They finally arrived to the house and Meg opened the door with a silver key. When the door opened, she could see that Madame Giry was carrying a heavy suitcase down the stairs. When she saw them at the door, especially Christopher, she nearly dropped it. "I didn't expect to see you here, Christopher. You nearly gave me a heart attack," she said as she finally managed to carry the suitcase down.

"Are you leaving soon, Madame Giry," Christopher asked with suspicion.

"No, no. These are just some old clothes in the attic that I wanted to bring down and the suitcase seemed like the easiest way to carry them. What brings you by?"

"I brought him here, mother. He needs to know," Meg said. Now Christopher's curiosity grew, but he didn't want to ask.

"Meg, can I speak to you for a moment," she said with a suspicious tone. Meg nodded her head and they both entered the kitchen. Christopher waited until they were out of sight and he quietly followed them, but he made sure he wasn't seen. It was clear that they were keeping something from him. They were quiet, but what he could hear some things clearly.

"What were you thinking bring him here?"

"I'm sorry, but he needs to know the truth! I can tell he's been miserable since she left and he wants to know if she's all right."

"But you know why she did it! She doesn't want to be found!"

With those words, he looked at the ground and noticed the suitcase. After checking to see if they were coming, he quietly set the suitcase on its side and opened it. He could see nothing out of the ordinary; old clothes, just like she said. He was about to close it, but he noticed something black hiding amongst the clothes. He moved them to reveal a black and red mask, but not just any mask: Erika's mask that she wore for _Don Juan Triumphant_. He picked it up and couldn't believe what he was looking at. Why did they have it? Do they know where she is? Why haven't they told him?

"Oh, I guess you found it," Madame Giry said with a bit of surprise. He looked up and saw that the Girys were staring at him. He found out their little secret.

"Why do you have her mask? What aren't you telling me," he asked as he waved the mask at them.

After a moment of hesitation, Madame Giry finally said, "Meg, could you please go upstairs. I would like to speak with Christopher in private." She nodded her head and went straight upstairs. When they were alone, Madame Giry suddenly went through some drawers to find something. "I know it's around here somewhere."

"What's going on? Why did Meg bring me here? What are you hiding?"

"Ah, there it is," she said as she pulled out an envelope with the name Giry on it. "I found this on my door along with the mask today." He grabbed it out of her hands and could see that it was clearly Erika's handwriting. He reopened it and quickly read what it said.

 _Dear Antoinette and Meg Giry,_

 _I'm writing this letter to you to tell you that I will be leaving Paris and will be on my way to a new life in a new country. I cannot stay in Paris any longer especially since the debut show of my opera. I'm a wanted criminal now and I must leave in order to make a life for myself. I'm not sure what my plan is exactly, but what I do know is that it will involve music. It's my specialty and even though the citizens of Paris didn't appreciate it, I am sure that someone will. Please don't try to find me. I know Christopher would be wondering where you went if you left to find me. Speaking of him, please don't tell him about this. The last thing I would want for him is to change his mind about his wedding just to find me. Please I'm begging you._

 _Hope to write to you soon,_

 _Erika Destler_

Christopher didn't know how to react. On one hand, he got his answer; she was all right. He feared that the police might have found her and didn't report it for some strange reason, especially since her lair was abandoned for a month now. On the other hand, he felt heartbroken to know that she was leaving him for good. He wanted to be close to her, but now he couldn't. After the moment they shared that fateful night, she still believed that he would be happier with Rachel. Didn't he prove who he loved more to her? "You said you got this today?"

"Yes, along with the mask. I wanted to respect her wishes and hide the mask so you wouldn't find it, but it seems fate has a different idea," she said with a sad tone.

"Why did Meg tell me about it then?"

"Maybe she wanted to see who you loved more, but it's clear now. You wouldn't be so worked up about her if you didn't love her."

"Do you have any idea where she could have gone? Maybe Spain? Germany? Italy? America," Christopher asked in a frantic manner.

"Christopher, please! She wants you to move on from her. She wants you to be with your new wife. Why would she leave if it wasn't for that reason?"

"But . . . that night . . . we proved our love for each other," he said as he looked at his wedding ring. "This was her father's wedding ring. I've had to wear it on this hand to avoid questions."

"Wait, are you two married," Madame Giry asked with utter surprise.

"Not exactly. We were not in front of a priest or a councilman, but we did exchange the marital vows and put the rings on each other. In my heart, we're married, but she still chose to leave."

"Maybe you are looking at this the wrong way. A wife is supposed to do what is best for her husband and in this case, the best way to make you happy is to let you go with a woman who can provide for your needs." Christopher was silent for a moment, but he handed the note back to her. She did have a point. In a marriage, a spouse makes sacrifices to make the other happy and that's exactly what Erika was doing, but he wished she didn't have to go to such lengths.

After a while, they heard Meg come down the stairs, but only halfway. "Did you finally tell him?"

"Yes. He knows everything now," she said with a wink. Meg sighed, not in relief, but in disappointment.

He looked down at the mask and said, "Can I keep the mask at least? If I can't see her anymore, it is at least a reminder of how much we loved each other."

Madame Giry looked at her daughter and asked, "Should we?" Meg looked up the stairs for a while and then looked back at her mother with a nod. "Then I guess it's all yours, Christopher, but promise me that you will take great care of it."

"I promise," he said with a sad smile. At the sound of those words, she led him out the door and they exchanged farewells. When she finally shut the door, she and Meg raced for the window and saw that he was holding back tears from the story they told him.

"Is he gone," a soft feminine voice cooed from upstairs.

They looked up and Madame Giry said, "Yes, he's gone." They heard footsteps walk down the stairs and then they could see who they belonged to: Erika. She was wearing some of Meg's old clothes, but had her white mask on. "You know you just broke his heart right now, don't you?"

"I know, but his happiness doesn't involve me in his life. How could I possibly make him happy?"

"Well, he wouldn't come all this way to find where you were if you didn't," Meg said. "I was hoping that he might change your mind, but even when he was here, you wanted to remain hidden."

"My mind is made up! Tomorrow, I'm going on a boat to Coney Island and that's it."

"Are you sure you still want to go through this? After all, you two are . . . I guess, married," Madame Giry said. Erika blushed; she forgot to tell them of what happened that night. For the past month, she had been living with the Girys to avoid the police investigating the catacombs and she did hear that they found her lair. For some days now, she had planned to leave Paris to make a life for herself, but she needed time to prepare. However, she never expected him to visit, even for a brief time. She didn't need to see his face to know that he did miss her and might even cancel his wedding to be with her, just like he did in _Don Juan Triumphant_. This made her leave even harder to comply with, but she has to do it.

"Yes, we are . . . married," she said as she showed them the ring. "I think he explained our wedding best." They both marveled at the ring, but Meg had some questions in mind.

"So, how did you get the ring or did he buy it?"

"This is my grandmother's wedding ring and he's wearing my father's. I told you about what happened that night, right?"

"Only that you nearly killed Rachel, he kissed you, and then you let them go. Apparently, there's more," Meg said with a teasing smile.

"Well, I didn't want to tell you in case you would try to bring him here to change my mind, but I guess I didn't have to tell you in order for that to happen," she said as she looked at Meg who didn't seem guilty for what she did. "Well, he came back and said he wanted to show his love for me and we got married in my lair."

"Did you two . . . you know . . . after the wedding," Meg asked a little embarrassed, but it didn't matter since he mother scolded her for asking such a personal question. However, her question was answered with Erika's blushing cheeks. They eyes lit up with surprise.

"You actually did? Oh my," Madame Giry said, but not in a scolding manner. True, she believed that sex was only appropriate after marriage, but in a way, they were technically married. They exchanged vows and rings, so it was somewhat official. Their love for each other proved that souls were indeed one.

After of while of awkwardness, Erika walked to her open suitcase and closed it, almost forgetting that the most important thing in there was gone. They looked at her with confusion and then Madame Giry asked, "Why did you let him keep your mask? You told us it was precious to you."

"If I can't be around for him, I might as well give him something to remember me by. Besides, the mask meant a lot to him as it did for me. I'm sure he'll take good care of it."

* * *

Christopher walked all the way from their house to the cemetery. His feet were tired from all the walking, but he knew that Erika did this for years from an either farther distance and she didn't complain. He walked up to his father's tomb and hurried inside. The last two visits, he managed to find her, so he hoped somehow, it would happen again. He walked to his father's coffin and placed a hand on it. "Hello father. Well, I bet you know how I feel right now, but I don't know what to do. Should I marry Rachel or cancel it to go search for Erika? I know that's against her wishes, but I truly do love her, more than I ever did with Rachel. I just wish she was here so I could figure out what to do, but please help me decide."

A gust of wind blew into the grave and some things moved, including an envelope that was at first hidden from his sight, but now was on the ground. He picked it up from the ground and on the envelope, it said Christopher. He could see that it was from Erika and quickly removed the wax seal to open it. He removed the letter out of it and read carefully.

 _Dear Christopher,_

 _I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but I didn't want you to come after me. By the time you read this, I will have left Paris to find a life for myself. I know that if I told you myself, you would have wished for me to let you go with me, but I can't allow that. I don't want my misdeeds to interfere with our happiness. Realize that I have done more in my past than accidentally killing Buquet and dropping the chandelier. I want you to be with the woman you deserve and that will help you further your career. If you truly love me, you will follow my wishes and leave me be. It's what a good husband should do for his wife. Maybe in our future, our paths will meet again, but for now, they must remain separated. Remember, you will always have a place in my heart and no one in this world will replace you. I love you, my Angel of Music._

 _Erika_

After reading the letter, he was in tears. Even though she didn't tell him in person, she finally told him what she was doing and she was fine. This letter was his answer. If she didn't want to be found, then he'll respect her wishes and marry Rachel, for her sake.

After a while, he walked outside the tomb and was disappointed to know that she was nowhere to be seen. There wasn't a single person other than him there. He thought about walking back home, but he decided to do one last thing before leaving. He walked to Erika's father's grave and pay homage to it. He knelt on his knee and said, "You raised a wonderful daughter. She's so noble that she would sacrifice her happiness for mine. I just hope that our paths do cross again and when it does, we can be together. Thank you." He got up and noticed that there was a rose with a black ribbon on the ground with a note. He grabbed it and read what the note said: I will miss you now more than ever.

* * *

The week passed and the wedding finally arrived. Christopher was a nervous wreck all day. His groomsmen helped him prepare for his special day, joking that this is his last chance to reconsider, which led to Philippe's scolding face. He didn't pay all this money just so he can have cold feet. As the groomsmen left to prepare for the wedding, Philippe stayed behind to ask some question. "Christopher, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm just nervous, that's all."

"Why are you nervous? I mean, you're marrying the love of your life right now! You proved your love for each other that night when that maniac tried to kill her. You managed to save her and she couldn't be any happier that you did."

"I guess, but-,"

"No buts! Just finish getting ready and we'll see you in a few minutes," he said as he left the room. Christopher looked in his full-length mirror one more time and just wished that was like the one in his dressing room. He even tried to open it, but all he did was slightly break it. He sighed as he left the room.

The wedding went as planned with no interruptions. Rachel and Christopher were officially man and wife and she couldn't be any happier. He put on a smile the whole time since he knew he made two women happy today, even if that one person was bittersweet about it. The reception was full of jovial behavior with the people dancing and drinking to their heart's desires. Even his cousin, Christine Daaé, came to the wedding, which he thought was great since she just recently lost her father. He thought she needed a distraction and tonight seemed to do the trick. She was actually smiling and even congratulated the couple. "You two look so perfect together," she told him while his wife was dancing with the rest of the guests.

"You could say that. I just wanted to do what was best for her," he said, but he thought of someone other than his wife.

"I'm sure you two will have a happy future together. Besides, things are looking up for me. I'm going to be working here in Paris."

"Really? Where?"

"The Opera Populaire! I heard it will be a bigger and better opera house than the Palais Garnier and I will be dancing there."

"I heard that the Girys will be working there, so you won't be alone. They are really kind people and I'm sure you will view them like family like I do."

"Oh really? Well, I'll make sure to talk to them before I leave. Are you going to work at the Opera Populaire?"

"I don't know. I might or I might be a traveling performer. Rachel thinks I should move on from Paris and now I'm starting to agree. I just hope that the Opera Populaire will be as good as they say and has no tragedies within its walls."

"I just hope that what you went through never happens to me. I mean, how tragic would it be if I were caught in a madman's fantasy? I'm surprised you made it out alive."

"She wasn't a madwoman. She was a person, but everyone still sees her as a Phantom. I just wish that one day, they will see the truth. Maybe you'll find love like I did."

"Oh, I hope so. You and Rachel look so happy together. I'll be honest, I haven't been that happy since I was with Raoul in Sweden, but that was a long time ago."

"Maybe you'll have your own Phantom lover," he teased, but his tone turned serious. "But if you do, please treat him with all the respect he deserves."

"All right? Well, I'm off to dance with the others. Care to join me," Christine asked as she held out her hand. He took it and she dragged him to the dance floor where they danced all night.

After the reception, Christopher carried Rachel into his home, where they planned to live until they figured out their future plan. He took her upstairs and laid her on the bed. She had been anxious about this moment all day, but she finally was ready to be officially one with her husband. He had been nervous about this all day, but he was experienced enough to give her s night of pleasure, even if he had to imagine that she was Erika all night.


	12. Love Never Dies

The next morning, Erika headed to the harbor to start her journey to Coney Island. She has been anxious about this trip for a long time, but she knew that if she wanted both her and Christopher to move on, she had to leave. At least she visited her father's grave one last time before she left today and even left a letter at Christopher's father's grave so he would know how she felt. She felt the smooth piece of paper that was her ticket in her hand and was hesitant to go. She looked back one more time at the place that was once her home and remembered all the memories that surrounded this place: her mother, the circus, the years in the Palais Garnier, meeting Christopher for the first time, her growing feelings for him, the heartbreak, _Don Juan Triumphant_ , and finally, their kiss and wedding. She didn't have a perfect life, but it was at least happy enough that she was going to miss Paris. Despite that, she still turned around and headed to the ship. She carried her one suitcase all the way through checkpoints to the ship. It was majestic ship with elaborate decor and expensive looking dining room, that is, for the upper class. Fearing that the wealthy might recognize her from _Don Juan Triumphant_ , she chose to live among the lower class for the time being. The ship held many diverse passengers, ranging from Parisian citizens to wealthy merchants from all over the world, but despite the diversity, she felt like she would stick out with the mask on her face.

Erika finally arrived to her stateroom and was surprised to see how small it was. It only had enough room for her, a bed, and her suitcase. Regardless of the size, she had to deal with it for the next three weeks. Once the ship was in motion, there was no going back. This was the point of no return. After she finished unpacking, she went to the cafeteria of the ship since she was incredibly hungry. She didn't eat breakfast this morning and it was already five in the evening. She sat at an abandoned table by the window and examined her food. It didn't look appetizing, but she was too hungry to care. She ate a bit of the mysterious food, but fought every urge in her body to spit it out. It was disgusting! Who in their right mind would feed this crap to people? Well, she knew one thing: the upper class would have the best food and the leftovers would be given to the lower class. She looked around and saw all the rambunctious families and people around her. They were all so busy with their own matters that they didn't even bother to notice that one of their shipmates was wearing a more expensive looking dress and a mask to hide her face, which relieved her.

She heard a loud horn and could feel the ship moving. She heard the people cheering outside and she looked out the window to see her last sight of France. It looked quite lovely with the sun setting in the background, which caused a tear to fall on her cheek. "Excuse me, miss, but would you like some company," a man asked. She tuned to find a young man in Persian clothing looking straight at her. Just like her, he dressed in more elegant clothing, suggesting he was from some wealth. When she turned, he finally noticed her mask and his eyes widened with surprise, but for a different reason than she thought.

"I guess you can sit here, monsieur," she said softly. He took a seat in front of her and couldn't stop looking at her with a curious look. "What's the matter?"

"Your mask reminds me of a friend I know, mademoiselle," he said as he noticed the ring on her finger. "Or should I say madame."

She looked at him with confusion until she remembered the ring. "Oh, I almost forgot about it. It's still hard to believe that we are married, or at least, in our hearts."

"So where is monsieur, um-," he trailed off as he awaited her to finish his question.

"He should be getting married some days from now," she said, not realizing that her statement did not make any sense to him.

"I thought you said you two were married," he asked with one of his eyebrows up.

"We were never officially married. We were never in front of a priest or anything like that. We just said the vows and exchanged the rings. Besides, he is marrying the woman he deserves," she said with a hint of sadness.

"Oh, well, mademoiselle, why are you here and not still with him?"

"I don't want him to leave his fiancé to come after me. The last thing I want is for him to break her heart just like he did to me some time ago."

"Would you like to tell me more? I mean, your story is quite interesting. All I am doing is looking for a friend who ran away from Persia. You see, he has a very unfortunate deformity and he was already used by gypsies and even my former boss, the Shah. I'm trying to find him before he gets himself in any more trouble."

Her eyes lowered at the sound of "the Shah". The memories of the circus played in her head, but she tried desperately to hide her tears. "Oh, poor man. What's his name?"

"His name is Erik Chenet."

She smiled. "That's funny because my name is Erika Destler. Does he hide his deformity behind a mask too?"

He nodded. "Wait, 'too'? You mean, underneath that mask lies a deformity?"

She looked away from him a bit and then nodded. "I guess he and I have a lot in common. I just hope that we don't share the same fate."

"I just hope I can find him before he can," he said before stretching out his hand. "My name is Nadir Khan, but most people just call me the Persian."

"Well, Nadir, it's nice to meet you," she said as she shook his hand, but he grabbed it and kissed it, like a gentleman should, making her blush a little. "So, are you secretly rich," she teased.

He smiled. "I'm a merchant. I've been selling spices from every corner of the world to millions of people. Despite the success, I hate to travel with the wealthy since they are so smug and have no respect for the people who aren't like them. What about you?"

"I've caused a huge fiasco back home and I'm afraid they might notice me," she said, but suddenly, her face turned green as she hurriedly ran out of the cafeteria. He followed quickly behind her and saw her bent over on the side of the ship, vomiting. He helped her out by pulling her hair out of the way and saying comforting things to her. Once she was finished, she was embarrassed, but all right. "I'm sorry. The food here must have not agreed with my stomach."

"I guess not, but I saw that you ate so little. I must have been awful."

"It was, but I have to eat it if I want to survive the trip."

"Not exactly," he said with a mischievous smile. "With enough money, they might be able to provide us with decent food, that is, if you will accept my offer."

"You would do that for me? Thank you," she said with a smile.

"But we must eat in secret. I don't want anyone to know our little secret. Will eating in my stateroom be sufficient for you?"

"Well, Nadir, I've spent all my life hiding in the shadows, so that shouldn't be any problem for me."

For the duration of the voyage, Erika and Nadir would eat high quality food in his stateroom far away from the upper class and lower class. His room was a mix between the rich and the poor and they spent most of their time there comfortably. During breakfast, she would actually eat with the others since it was at least consumable and he would join her. Once in a while, they would join other shipmates for activities and they would have a fun time onboard. They would share stories of their past, and surprisingly, Erika told him everything that happened to her before she arrived to the Palais Garnier and before she left France. He seemed to be very interested in her stories since they told of a woman who has survived the worst torment, but still found kindness and compassion to the point that she even found her true love and although he did break her heart, he loved her too. Despite this, she still let him go to make him happy and to protect him from any difficulties they would have had if they were together. What an amazing woman he found! "So, you had to deal with a person called the Shah too?"

"Yes. When I was just a young teenager, he made me kill anyone that he deemed worthy of death, but I turned into the assassin of the circus that anyone could hire. I've killed so many people that I don't even remember how many. Even worse is that if I didn't do the job or correctly or refused to do it, they would torture me and abuse me. Even if I wanted death, they wouldn't give it to me despite them threatening my life if I failed to kill someone. It wasn't until I met the amazing Madame Giry that I could escape that hell."

"That's awful, but I'm sad to say that Erik suffered a similar past. He was used by the ruler of Persia, the Shah, and I was one of his councilmen. When they found him, he wanted him to become his personal assassin and allowed him to create a torture chamber under the palace. He said his deformed face could bring fear into the hearts of his victims and unfortunately, he was right. He too killed so many people to the point he forgot how many and if it weren't for me, he would have never escaped."

"So, are you still working with that bastard?"

"How could I after what he did to my poor friend? I told him I wanted no part in his council, but he exiled me from Persia and demanded for me not to return unless I wanted to be killed. Ever since then, I've made a business selling spices and I've never been happier."

"Well, that's good," she said with a smile. "I can't believe that tomorrow is the day that we arrive to America! I've never traveled this far away from home."

"I've never been to America, so this is exciting for me too," he said as he put an arm around her. She looked at his with curiosity since she was still not used to being touched, even after sleeping with Christopher. "You know, I thought I was going to be alone on this trip. My traveling companion isn't with me since he is working hard selling spices in France. When he's done, he'll join me, but I never thought I would meet a woman like you on this trip. You have made this trip that I dreaded to an unforgettable one."

"I feel the same. Thank you for making this trip a less stressful one. I thought I had to retreat to my room most of the trip and avoid human contact," she said, but her face once again turned green and she rushed out the room to vomit. This was the fourth time on this trip she has done this around him and she told him she has vomited more than that. As he did the first time, he made sure her hair was out the way and said comforting words to her. When she was done, she had an embarrassed look and said, "I must be very seasick if I keep vomiting like this."

"Are you sure that you don't want to go to infirmary to see what's the matter with you," Nadir asked with concern.

"Yes, I'm sure. The last thing I would want is for them to see my face and then send me back to France because they fear I have a contagious disease."

"Well, they are going to examine you when we get to Ellis Island."

Her eyes widened with fear. "What?"

"Didn't you know? They examine immigrants before they let them in and if they are too sick, they will send them back."

She was visibly shaking by what he just told him. "I think I should go back to my stateroom. It's getting late," she said in defeat.

"I'm sure you will be able to pass the examination-,"

"You don't understand. My deformity could mean anything in the medicine world. My mother tried to figure out what was wrong with me as a child and each doctor we saw said different things. It will hinder my chances of a new life here. What am I going to do?"

"I'm sure it's not that bad," he said as he tried to remove that mask, but she swatted his hand away. "Please let me see it. I can't make a judgment unless I've seen it."

"But I don't want to frighten you. My face has repulsed so many people throughout the years.

"Please, Erika," he begged. She looked into his puppy dogs eyes that she remembered Christopher having when he begged her to marry him and she couldn't refuse.

"All right, but not out here," she said as she looked around for any unwanted attention. He guided her back to his stateroom and he sat her down on the sofa. When they were comfortable, she reluctantly removed her mask, revealing her deformity. To her surprise, he didn't scream in horror or even flinch. Instead, he smiled.

"I've dealt with Erik's deformity for years. I've grown desensitized of deformities, even yours." Touched by his words, she gave him a hug. "I'm sure you'll pass." After a while, she left his room to go back to hers and pack for tomorrow's anxious ordeal.

The next day finally arrived and Erika has been nervous all morning. Once she left the ship, she knew she had to go through a full examination that could determine how she would live the rest of her life. On one hand, if she passed, she could live a new life where no one knew her, but at the same time, she would be all alone. The Girys wouldn't visit until they knew she was all right and even then, it would take some time before they could even come to America. The only thing that is giving her comfort at a time like this was Nadir, but he is a traveling merchant and he could leave at any moment to find the rarest spices or search his deformed friend, Erik. On the other hand, she could fail the examination and return back to France. True, that would mean another three weeks on that ship and without Nadir's help, but the thought of going back, in a way, humiliated her. This whole trip would have been a waste. Not only that, but where would she go? If this plan failed, she wouldn't have a plan B to retort to. She could ask to stay with the Girys for the time being, but if she did, she would eventually get caught in Christopher's life again. He might ask them if they received a letter from her and might even snoop around the house to find her.

Nadir was kind enough to escort her to the check-in building, but they had to be separated in gender-specific rooms for the examination. When she was called into a private room by a friendly nurse, she was more nervous than ever, maybe even more so than when Christopher was around. The nurse noticed her nervousness and said in a Boston accent, "Don't worry, miss. I assure you that the Doc won't hurt you. It'll just be a quick check and then you'll be on your way." Eventually, they arrived to the room where a female nurse and a midwife were waiting for her.

"Come sit here," the nurse said as she patted the examination table. Erika did as she was told and sat on it. They asked her many questions regarding if she was sick and she answered truthfully.

"Although, I had been vomiting a lot during the voyage, but I believe that was from seasickness," Erika said. As they heard this, their eyes lit up, especially the midwife's.

"What time of day would it usually occur," the midwife asked.

"It happened any time of the day, but mostly during the morning. Why?" They didn't answer her and they began their examination. The first thing they did was remove her mask and despite her protesting, they managed to get it off her. As they saw her deformity, instead of cowering in fear, they actually smiled.

"Oh, she must be a Coney Island performer. She'll fit right in with those freak and human oddities," the nurse said and the midwife nodded in agreement. Erika was confused, but was relieved that her face didn't seem to repulse them. In fact, it seems they might have seen a lot worse in their years. "Now, miss, we'll need the midwife to examine you, so you'll need to lie down." Erika did as she was told since the worse of her worries was now over. The midwife examined her private area and even though it was uncomfortable for her, Erika knew it had to be done.

After she was done, the midwife whispered something to the nurse and then asked her, "You said you were feeling nausea in the morning, correct?"

"Yes," she answered with curiosity. What were they not telling her?

"Have you been experiencing any other symptoms, like tender breasts or unusual cravings?"

Erika thought about it. She thought that her breasts were more sensitive than usual since now; she couldn't lie on her stomach without her breasts feeling pain or discomfort. Also, she noticed that she wanted more salty things lately, to the point where she would pour a large amount salt on her food. Nadir questioned this one time, but she only said she was craving it. "Now that you mention it, I have."

"When was the last time you had your period?" Erika thought about it and was surprised by her findings. She didn't have her period this month. The last time she was on her period was some time before _Don Juan Triumphant_ and when Christopher . . .

"Why are you asking me these questions? What is wrong with me," she asked with fear in her voice.

The two women looked at each other and the midwife finally told her, "Madame, you're pregnant."

Erika's eyes widened with shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Were they lying to her? No, why would they do that? She was really pregnant. "I am? For how long?"

"Almost a month, madame." Erika put a hand on her belly and was still in shock with the news they told her. "And your baby is going to be a healthy one as far as I could examine. Congratulations."

"Well, I think that completes our examination. You are free to go," the nurse said as she opened the door for her.

Erika left the room and out to the harbor where she was still in shock. "Erika," a male voice yelled. She turned around and saw Nadir running to her with his and her luggage. "I'm glad you passed, but you almost forgot your suitcase. It would be a shame if you lost it." He handed her the suitcase, but he could see that she was troubled. "What's wrong?"

"Do you remember what I told you after _Don Juan Triumphant_?"

"You said you tried to kill his fiancé, but he kissed you and you let them go. Why," he asked in a worried tone.

"Well, he came back and we got for a lack of a better term, married, but we also . . . , well," she said, blushing by what she was going to tell him. "Well, I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened with shock, just as much as hers did when she heard the news. "Well, I figured that with your constant vomiting, but I guess congratulations are in order," he said as he hugged her. "But what will you do? I mean, are you going to tell Christopher about this?"

At the sound of his name, she pushed him away and said sharply, "No, he can never find out about this! The last thing I would want is for him to come all this way to find me and our child. Besides, he'll have kids of his own before he knows it."

"Then what are you going to do? I'm pretty sure that a baby wasn't part of your plan."

"No, but that doesn't mean that I won't love him or her when he or she is born," she said as she put her hand on her belly. "I've spent my whole life being called different for my deformity and only a select few people ever cared about me and I won't do that to my child because he or she is half of Christopher."

"Well, I can't allow you to be alone while you are pregnant. You will stay with me until the Girys arrive, no question about it," he said as he put an arm around her.

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate for you? I mean, it wouldn't be proper for a man and woman to live together when they are not a couple."

He lifted her chin with his fingers and said, "It won't matter because you need a home for the time being. Where were you planning on staying if I weren't around?"

"I was just going to try my best to find accommodations at least for the night."

"Well, now you have found accommodations and you can stay with me for as long as you want."

"Thank you, Nadir," she said as she gave him a hug. "I never thought I would meet someone as kind as you." After a while, they grabbed their luggage and headed to his home, which wasn't far from Penny Street. They past by many colorful characters, including some of the freaks from a circus, immigrants from all over the whole that dream of a better future for themselves, and even a kindhearted older man with a wood shop up the street. They finally arrived to an apartment building and checked in at the front desk. They went upstairs and entered the room at the far end of the hallway. When they entered, they noticed it was pretty small, even for one person, but the guest room served to be a sufficient room for Erika.

"Now, if you need anything, you can just tell me," he said with a smile.

"I will. Thank you."

Nine months have passed and the fateful day arrived: Erika was in labor. Luckily, the Girys arrived a few months ago when they heard the news that she was pregnant and knew she needed womanly help during this emotional chapter in her life. Nadir waited patiently outside the room of his now new house. Ever since his spice business was going so well here in America, he has made enough money to buy a house that could accommodate him, Erika, and the child, but ever since the Girys arrived, his plan soon changed. They found a place for all three of them to live in and she soon moved out once he bought the house. He knew that it would be more ladylike if she lived among women rather than a man, but he just wished she would stay with him longer or maybe even forever. Over the past months, he started growing feelings for her and has even confessed his feelings to her, but she said her heart belonged to only one man: Christopher. Regardless, he has tried his absolute hardest to win her heart, especially through this ordeal.

In the room, Madame Giry tried to calm down Erika, who was moaning in agony. The pain was almost unbearable for her and she thought that she might die. She read in books that some mothers don't even survive childbirth and it terrified her greatly. She wanted to see her child and didn't want death to claim her until then. The only thing giving her faith was that Madame Giry was by her side, saying comforting words to her while Meg held her hand. "Where is the midwife," Madame Giry asked her daughter.

"She should be arriving soon. She said she had to get all her things when I went to get her," Meg answered.

Suddenly, they heard a knock on the bedroom door and Meg quickly opened it. To their relief, it was the midwife. She was an elderly woman, maybe even older than Madame Giry, but age meant experience in their eyes. The midwife walked to the bed where Erika was in agony and said, "It's all right, Mrs. Destler. Just take deep breaths and when a contraction occurs, I want you to push." Sure enough, when she said that, Erika felt a wave of a painful contraction, but did her best to push. "That's it! I can see the head."

"Meg, can you please wait outside. This isn't for you to see," Madame Giry said. Meg nodded and quickly left the room. Nadir saw her leave and she could see that he was worried sick about her.

"Is she all right," he asked, but he was quickly answered by a bloodcurdling scream from the other room.

"Don't worry, Nadir. She'll be all right. This is her first childbirth, so it's probably going to be painful for her. Just pray that she makes it through," she said, trying to be calm, but she was just as worried for her as he was.

After a few more agonizing contractions, the baby was now part of their world. "It's a girl, Mrs. Destler." Erika was weak from all the pain, but she knew the worse was over and it was all worth it. The midwife took the baby away and started cleaning her with a wet rag. After a while, she spanked the baby and she started to cry, like a normal baby should. Once she was wrapped in a pink blanket, the midwife handed the baby to her. Once she was in her arms, Erika started to cry. Her daughter's face was so beautiful, even though there was a birthmark throughout her face, but it was barely noticeable. The midwife smiled as she left the room to tell Meg and Nadir about the successful childbirth. Nadir paid the midwife and then quickly entered the room. Madame Giry cleaned up the room before he could enter and he was thankful. He was worried he might see something that could truly repulse him. When he saw the baby, he smiled and ran to her side. She had sweat all over her face and she was breathing hard, but she had a big smile on her face.

"Are you all right, my love," he said lovingly as he put a hand on her cheek.

"Yes, I'm all right. I never thought that giving birth would be so painful," she said weakly.

"What are you going to name her," Meg asked with excitement. She always viewed Erika as her sister, so she felt like she just became an aunt to a beautiful baby girl.

"Well, if she were a boy, I would have named her after my father, Giovanni, but since she's a girl, I'll name her . . . Diana," she said as she looked at her beautiful baby girl.

"But will she be a Daaé or a Destler," Madame Giry asked. Her smile vanished at the sound of her question.

"I . . . I never thought about that. My only fear is that if Christopher finds her, I don't want him to figure out he's the father."

"Well, Daaé would suggest she is part of his family and Destler would suggest she is part of yours. Maybe you can use Khan," Nadir said.

She laughed as she said, "I can't use Khan. True, it would throw anyone off, but that would suggest we were married." At those words, he looked away. After a moment of thinking, Erika finally said, "It's going to be Destler. Daaé would be too suspicious."

"So her name will be Diana Destler," Meg said with joy.

"Could you excuse us for a moment," Nadir asked the Girys. They reluctantly nodded and left the room, leaving Erika confused by his sudden request. "You know that I would do anything for you, right?"

"Of course, but what's the matter."

"It's just that . . . I have been with you for your entire pregnancy, but your heart still belongs to a man who doesn't even know he has a child. I've tried to court you, but you won't love me because you're . . . married," he said with sadness.

"Nadir, don't think that because I don't love you that I don't care about you at all. You've been a great friend and arguably, lover, but my heart still belongs to Christopher. I made a promise to him and I won't break it, but I do appreciate that you told me."

He sighed. "Well, congratulations for your baby girl," he said as he left her side and left the room.

When she knew she was alone, she looked at her baby Diana and said, "My dear Diana, I will love you with all my heart and soul and no matter what anybody says, you are not a freak. You are a special child and if your father ever finds you . . . I just hope that . . . ," She shook her head at the thought. "No matter what happens, I'll be there to support you." She kissed her child's forehead and Diana smiled. She was way too young to do smile; a newborn shouldn't even be this alert, but Erika smiled too. It's funny how things work out in the end.

* * *

 _ **The story may be over, but the questions remain. What will become of Erika and Diana? Will Christopher ever find out about his child? Will Nadir ever win Erika's heart? So many questions, but only you can answer them.**_

 _ **Thank you so much for reading my story and I hope you enjoyed yourself. If you would like, tell me your answers to those questions. I have written a sequel to this story called Looking through the Broken Mirror. If you've enjoyed this story and want to see these questions answered, go ahead and check it out. **_

**_Thank you so much! PhantomGypsy13_**


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